Infinity Stones
by Writefromtheheart95
Summary: Post-Dark World: Princess Sigyn of Alfheim has been having dark, threatening dreams of blood and death. She doesn't think much of them until Odin approaches her father with an odd request... Rating just in case.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Sigyn awoke breathing heavily and clutching her chest. Her nightmares were always intense, but this one had been the worst: the darkness, the blood, the evil laughter…it sent shivers down her spine.

Someone knocked on her down, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. "Princess Sigyn, are you awake?" For a moment, she considered not saying anything, but she figured that, before long, someone would come to wake her anyway.

"Yes," she answered.

"Your aunt, the Lady Freya, has requested your presence."

"Tell her I will meet her in the library in half an hour," she told the faceless voice. She listened for him to walk away before getting out of bed.

Opening her wardrobe, she found a simple white dress with a golden sash and matching golden slippers. She donned the outfit and sat at her vanity. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something glistening. She looked and saw that it was her mother's hairpin. She picked it up and turned it over in her hands. It was not her most elaborate accessory, nor was it her most valuable possession. But she smiled down at the last remaining memory of her mother with a heavy fondness. It was her good luck charm, and she didn't like to use it willy-nilly. But she had the sinking suspicion that she would need it that day.

After quickly fastening her white hair into a loose bun and applying some rouge to her pale lips and just a touch of charcoal around her golden eyes, she bounded out of her chambers. Sigyn didn't need to guess where her aunt would be; she always waited in the alcove with the widow overlooking the garden. When Sigyn approached Freya, her aunt smiled up at her. Her radiance could be blinding at the worst of times, but seeing her sitting by the window with the morning light reflecting off her golden locks could take any man's breath away. "Good morning, Sigyn."

"Good Morning, Aunt Freya," Sigyn greeted as she took a seat next to her. "It has been a long time since we have had the opportunity to talk, just the two of us."

"Well, you have been very busy as of late, what with your upcoming wedding," Freya commented. Sigyn gave her an 'I'm sorry' smile, and Freya laughed. "You do not have to apologize to me, my dear. You are not a child anymore. You have your own life now."

"I know. I just hope that you are included in it."

Freya took her hand. "As long as you wish to see me, I will be here. Now tell me, my dear, what did you dream of last night?"

Sigyn's face fell. "I am honestly not sure. I keep believing that the more dreams I have, the more clarity will come. But it hasn't. The dreams are only becoming more fractured and warped."

Freya nodded solemnly. "This is a sign of great suffering in the future, Sigyn. You need to tell your father."

"Father won't listen to me," she whispered. "He barely even looks at me."

"Sigyn, your father may be reclusive at times, but he cares for you deeply."

Sigyn sighed. "I know, but he's never taken my dreams seriously before. Why would he start now?"

Her aunt looked as if she wanted to argue, but she didn't. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Sigyn and pulled her into a tight hug. "It will all be alright, Sigyn. I promise." She pulled away and stood up. "Well, I have some business to attend to, and I'm sure you do as well. I will see you tonight at dinner." She turned around and left Sigyn in the alcove by her self.

* * *

"Did you hear about Astrid?" Wren whispered to Sigyn. They sat together in the courtyard of the palace. Wren was desperately trying to grab Sigyn's interest, but none of the gossip of the court of Alfheim held her interest. Both her dreams and her aunt's cryptic words rang in her head over and over again like church bells.

"Sigyn, are you even listening to me?" Wren asked.

"I'm so sorry, Wren, what did you say?" Wren huffed and flipped a strand of dark brown hair out of her face. "Sigyn, I don't believe you have heard a word I have said all day. What has gotten into you?"

"I'm sorry, Wren. I had another dream last night," Sigyn confessed.

Wren's expression softened. "You have been having a lot of them lately. What do you think they mean?"

Sigyn shook her head. "I do not know, but Freya seems worried."

She looked behind her friend, and saw her fiancée walking towards them. "Eero's coming," she whispered. "Pretend you're laughing." Both the women broke out in girlish giggles.

"What are we laughing at, ladies?" Eero asked as he approached them wearing his finest golden armor. Sigyn smiled at him. Many considered him to be one of the handsomest men in the Nine Realms, second only to the Mighty Thor. He had chestnut hair with a full beard and a smile to lit up the kingdom. The engagement wasn't her choice, but she was well aware of the jealousy she gained from the other ladies of the court when it was announced. She had won the prize they all craved.

"Oh, simply palace gossip. Nothing that would interest you," she assured him. He smiled and turned to Wren. "My lady, Wren, would you allow me to steal my fiancée? We have some political business to attend to."

"Yes, of course, Sir Eero," Wren answered. She stood up and gave Sigyn a half-hearted smile before leaving them.

"What is the matter?" Sigyn asked him. His face fell only slightly. "The Allfather is coming to Alfheim, and the King is requesting our presence."

"The Allfather? What business does he have in Alfheim?" Sigyn did not like the sound of it. The Light Elves and the Aesir were allies, of course. They had always had similar enemies and joined forces in many battles. But unless there was a celebration or war, they had little reason to interact with each other. Sigyn feared it was the later.

* * *

King Freyr sat upon the throne of Alfheim with Freya standing to his left and Sigyn to his right. Eero stood to Sigyn's right. A few other lords and ladies were in attendance. Everyone seemed tense and uneasy for some unknown reason.

She held her head high as the Allfather approached with a handful of Einherjar warriors behind him.

Freyr stood up. "Allfather, it is a great honor to have you here," he greeted.

"King Freyr, your welcome is most gracious," Odin bowed his head briefly before returning to his proud posture.

"I am glad to be afforded the opportunity to thank you for your help after the Bifrost was destroyed. Alfheim might have fallen into chaos without your assistance."

Odin held up his hand. "It is not I who assisted. Your gratitude belongs to Thor."

"Yes, of course. As a matter of fact, where is the prince?"

Sigyn saw the corner of Odin's mouth twitch slightly before answering. "Thor is back on Midgard with the woman he loves."

Freyr smiled. "I wish him every happiness. Now what brings the King of Asgard to Alfheim?"

"A new threat looms in the distance for Asgard. Something very powerful and very dangerous. I have come to ask for a certain object which lies in Alfheim."

"What object would that be?" Freyr asked, though Sigyn had a feeling she already knew the answer.

"I need the Diamond," he answered. While most had tried to hide their discomfort, but now it was evident on every face. Sigyn glanced at Freya and noticed her lips moving.

Freyr's face fell, but he maintained a calm composure. "What would you need the Diamond for?"

"This enemy has eyes everywhere. The Diamond would give me the power to do the same."

"The Diamond was part of the Agreement," Freyr reminded him.

"I would only be borrowing it for a while. You have my word that it will be returned to you."

"And while you are in possession in the Diamond, what is Alfheim to do? Wait as our enemies overwhelm us?" Freyr challenged.

"If the defense of your kingdom relies on one stone, your defense is weak."

Sigyn could see her father's composure cracking. Her heart pounded as she watched her father descend the steps. "I am sorry, Allfather. But I cannot allow the Diamond to go to Asgard. You already have the Tesseract. Having two Infinity Stones in one realm is too dangerous."

There was an awkward pause. The two men starred at each other as if some invisible battle was happening between them. Finally, Odin bowed his head. "Of course, King Freyr." He turned around and marched out of the throne room with his guards trailing behind him.

* * *

"What could Odin possibly want with the Diamond?" Sigyn asked Freya as they sat in the library.

"I do not know, but I fear it is nothing good. It is not like the Allfather to seek out war," she answered as she nervously twirled her thumbs.

"Do you think this has anything to do with my dreams?"

"I suspect so."

The women heard footsteps and turned to see the Allfather approaching them. They stood up and bowed.

"There is no need for that, my ladies. I simply came to ask for a word with the princess. Alone." Odin turned on his heel and gestured for Sigyn to follow.

"Anything you can say to Sigyn, you can say to me," Freya insisted.

"It's alright, Aunt Freya. I'll be fine," Sigyn assured her.

Freya's mouth stretched into a tight line. "Very well. I should expect her back by dinner." She got up and walked away, leaving Sigyn alone with Odin.

"Shall we take a walk?" Sigyn nodded as she followed him into the garden.

The sun was setting as the Allfather and the Princess of Alfheim walked side by side.

"I have always thought Alfheim was one of the more scenic realms," he commented.

"Yes, we take great pride in our plants and wildlife," Sigyn responded nervously.

"Although, I suspected you keep the real beauty hidden away."

"If you are referring to the Diamond, than yes it is hidden."

"Who said anything about the Diamond?" Sigyn glanced at Odin, but his face was not giving anything away.

There was a short, awkward silence before Sigyn spoke again. "I heard about what happened to Loki. I am so sorry for your loss."

"I am sure that he is celebrating in Valhalla as we speak," he said casually

"Yes, but I will miss him. I never told him, but I was rather found of him."

Odin stopped walking for a moment. He turned to Sigyn and smiled. "Well, I happen to know that he was rather fond of you as well."

Sigyn returned his smile and examined him. Something about him was bothering her about him, but she couldn't place her finger on it.

"Princess Sigyn!" a voice cried. Sigyn saw a maid running towards them. "Lady Freya sent me to summon you for dinner."

"Thank you," she replied. "I am sorry, Allfather, but my father does not tolerate tardiness."

"I understand, Princess Sigyn." She gave him a short bow before leaving him.

* * *

"Are you mad?" Wren asked. She sat on Sigyn's bed as Sigyn got dressed. She put on a pair of white leggings, a white tunic, a gold vest tied closed with a sash, and a pair of brown riding boots.

"I'm just going to Asgard. I'll be back in no time," Sigyn said as she pulled her hair into a tight braid.

"I understand that. What I don't understand is _why._"

"Odin is hiding something, and I need to find out what," Sigyn answered.

"Sigyn, do I need to remind you that you are getting married in less than a week?"

"And I will be back before that," she insisted as she strapped the sheath that held her daggers to her waist.

"I'm going to tell Freya," Wren said.

"Wren, please, don't tell Freya or my father or anyone," she begged her friend.

Wren pursed her lips. "Alright, but if you aren't back soon, I'm telling the King."

Sigyn hugged her friend. "Thank you, Wren." Sigyn pulled away from Wren and stepped onto the windowsill.

"Well," she whispered to herself. "Here goes nothing." She jumped out of the window and landed gracefully on her feet. "Sigyn!" she heard Wren hiss. She looked up to her friend, who was leaning out the window. "Good luck."

Sigyn gave her a brief smile before running into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_Where is it? _Sigyn felt like she had been wondering the forests of Alfheim for hours. It was easy enough to find the portal to Asgard during the day, but nighttime was a different story. She had used the portal many times when she was young to play with Thor and Loki, and she was the only one who seemed to know about it. If Heimdall knew of it, he never mentioned it.

When she sensed a surge of magic, she knew she was close. She followed her senses to the two trees she knew so well. A limb from each tree had grown in the direction of the other, creating an archway.

She took a deep breath. The portal didn't always work, and she didn't have time for it to decide not to work. She approached the twin trees and stopped just before crossing the threshold. She placed one foot between the trees and breathed a sigh of relief when it disappeared before her eyes. She closed her eyes and stepped the rest of the way through. When she opened her them again, she was in Asgard.

The home of the Aesir had always fascinated Sigyn. While Alfheim was mostly forest and cottages and had no elaborate architecture, save for the palace, Asgard looked like a floating city. Everything looked to be made of platinum and silver, and people were always moving about. It was truly the home of the gods.

Sigyn, however, didn't have time to gap and gawk. She cast an enchantment over herself making her invisible and began to move. The portal had brought her to a large market that, despite the late hour, was still in full swing. It wasn't far from the palace, but she had to weave through thick crowds and winding streets. It took all of her training to keep from accidently bumping into someone, but once she made it out of the market, it was a straight shot.

Sigyn approached the steps of the palace cautiously. She saw at least four guards at the front gates and two watching over the grounds from watchtowers. Her body began to shake slightly as she took the first step. Her boots didn't make a sound. She proceeded to reach the top of the steps and stood by one of the guards. Knowing that she couldn't simply sneak past them and open the front door, she waited for someone to pass through.

She didn't have to wait long. A pair of guards approached the gates.

"Your watch over for the night?" one of the guards at the gate asked.

"Yep. I just have to take off my armor, then I'm off to the tavern," one of the approaching guards commented.

"Just remember to not over-indulge. I don't want to fish your naked rear end out of the gutter again."

The second guard mumbled something about, "one time" as two of the other guards laughed and opened the gates. Sigyn followed closely behind the guards and managed to slip through the gates before they were closed.

As soon as she was inside, Sigyn realized she had no idea what she was looking for. Deciding to trust her instincts, she picked a hallway and slowly made her way through the palace.

After a while, she noticed engravings over certain doorways. She found one with an image of Mjölnir and realized that it must have been Thor's chambers. One door had the image of a helmet with horns and concluded that it had belonged to Loki. Her heart twitched with sadness for a moment, but she pressed on.

After an hour or two of searching and seeing no one, she heard laughter coming from the other end of the hall. Sigyn quickly pressed her back into the wall. Three figures came stumbling down the hall. It appeared to be a man and two women. As they neared her, she realized that the women were supporting the man.

"Ladies, what do you say you two join me in my chambers?" the man slurred. Realizing that she recognized the voice, she took a closer look at him. _Of course, _she thought. _Fandral. _

"Oh, I don't think so, good Sir Fandral. I expect that as soon as we get you to your chambers, you will pass out," one of the women commented. The other woman giggled.

"Oh, come now darlings, I'm not so inebriated that I can't entertain you lovely ladies." The women simply continued to laugh as they dragged him away.

Sigyn rolled her eyes and continued on her way. It didn't take her too much longer before she found a pair of huge oak doors with an engraving of two ravens above it. _The Allfather's chambers. _

She gently placed her hand on the door. She knew that the Allfather was likely asleep, so she had to push the door open slowly. She opened it just enough for her to slip through, then quickly turned around and closed it again.

When she was sure she hadn't been heard, she turned and found the scene she was expecting: Odin in his bed, asleep. But she noticed something else. There was some sort of golden force field surrounding his body. She slowly crept towards the bed. When she reached to touch the force field, she was surprised to discover that her hand went right through it. Memories of the stories her mother had told her as a child flooded back to her, and she realized that he wasn't simply asleep. He was in the Odinsleep.

That was impossible, though. She had seen him earlier that day, and he seemed to be in perfect health. Her mother had told her that, before falling into the Odinsleep, Odin would be incredibly weary, but she had seen no sign of fatigue in him. Something strange was going on.

"You shouldn't have come here, Sigyn." Sigyn looked toward the door and saw…Odin standing before it.

She starred at him, completely dumbfounded. He began to approach her. Her mind was screaming at her to run, but her feet refused to move. As he neared her, the image of Odin began to disappear and was replaced by an even more shocking image.

"L…Loki?" she whispered.

"Yes," he answered as he stood before her in his true form.

"I…I thought you were dead." A single tear rolled down her cheek as she said it.

"Well, that's the whole point of faking your death: making people think you're dead."

Sigyn steadied herself on the bed. "Loki, whatever it is you're doing you must stop."

Loki shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that," he said. He quickly reached back to grab her, but Sigyn was too quick; she jumped back and pulled out one of her daggers.

"Stay away from me," she growled as she held the dagger in front of her.

"I can't let you leave here, Sigyn. Not after what you've seen." Loki stepped closer to her.

"What are you going to do, kill me?" She took a step back.

"If you cooperate, I won't have to." Sigyn lunged at him, but he easily blocked her attack by grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her back. She tried to cry out in pain, but Loki's hand quickly covered her mouth. Her dagger was still in the hand that Loki had pinned behind her, and she attempted to twist her wrist and wound him, but Loki tightened his grip on her. When the pain became unbearable, she finally let go. She tried to think of a spell that would help her, but her mind could only focus on the fear and the pain.

"Don't. Scream," he hissed into her ear. He removed his hand from her mouth, and she immediately began gasping for air.

"Please…Loki…don't…do…this," she begged between breaths.

"I'm sorry, love, but I have no choice," he replied solemnly as he began pulling her out of the bedroom. He cast his Odin illusion over himself again before opening the door.

Two guards came running towards them. "My King, one of the maids reported strange noises coming from your chamber, and came as quickly as we…" The guard stopped when he saw Sigyn struggling in his grasp. "Who is this?"

"This is the intruder," he answered as he threw Sigyn to the floor.

"She looks like an elf," the other guard commented as he noted her pointed ears.

"A thief from the House of Freyr, no doubt," Odin/Loki sneered. "Take her to the dungeons. I will deal with her later."

The guards each grabbed one of her arms and pulled her to her feet. "Wait!" she shouted. "That's not the real Allfather!"

The fake Odin scoffed. "A lunatic too! Freyr will pay for his disrespect." He turned his back to them and stormed away.

"Alright, come along now," the guard said as she was pulled away.

"Please you have to believe me! That's not the real Allfather! The real Odin is in the Odinsleep. That's Loki!"

The guards burst into laughter. "The King was right; she's mad!"

"Did nobody tell you that Loki is dead?"

Sigyn's heart sank, and she decided to remain silent. There was no way she was going to convince them of the truth. She simply allowed them to drag her into the dungeons.

* * *

Loki paced around in Odin's chambers. This new situation with Sigyn made things complicated; he knew that Freyr would come looking for his daughter, and he couldn't havw bunch of elves crawling about the palace. Returning her obviously wasn't an option, but keeping her was going to cause trouble as well.

Suddenly, an idea came to him, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a sinister smile. Freyr had something he wanted, and he had something Freyr wanted. Perhaps they could work out a trade…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

As the sun began to rise in Alfheim, Wren panicked. She feared the worst for her friend, but she wanted to give her a bit more time just in case she got held up. She had spent the entire night in Sigyn's chambers, waiting for her to return. Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest when someone knocked on the door.

"Sigyn?"

Wren recognized the voice; it was Eero. She took a deep breath before opening the door. "Wren?" Eero questioned. "What are you doing in Sigyn's chambers?"

"Sigyn asked me to come. She is a bit…under the weather." Wren lied.

Eero's face fell. "Is she alright? Do I need to fetch a healer?"

"No, no, she just needs a bit of rest. The stress of yesterday took its toll."

"Let me see her," he commanded as he tried to push past her.

"No!" she nearly shouted. He stopped in his tracks and looked at her curiously.

"I-it is inappropriate for a groom to visit a bride in her chambers before the wedding day. Surely you know that, Sir Eero," she stuttered.

Eero appeared to mull her words over in his head before speaking again. "Fine," he conceded. "Just see to it that she gets her rest."

"Of course, Sir Eero." He turned on his heels and practically strutted down the hallway.

As soon as Wren was sure he was out of earshot, she released the breath she had been holding. _This is going to be more difficult than I imagined. _

* * *

Freya sensed something was amiss when she woke up. Sigyn had a habit of projecting her dreams to her aunt on a near nightly basis, but that night, she saw nothing. Sigyn didn't always dream, but in light of the recent nightmares and the visit from the Allfather, Freya sincerely doubted that her niece simply did not dream that night.

The Goddess quickly rose from her bed and put on her silk robe and slippers. She left her chambers and strode down the hallway. A maid spotted her and gave her an inquisitive look. "My lady, you are not properly dressed?"

"Yes, Ida, thank you for the observation. Now, if you will excuse me, I have urgent business to attend to," Freya huffed as she sped past her without a second glance.

She found Sigyn's chambers and furiously pounded on the door.

"The princess is not feeling well. Please leave her to rest," she heard Wren's voice say from the other side of the door.

"Wren, open this door immediately!" Freya demanded. There was a pause before she heard Wren's footsteps and the door opened.

"L-Lady Freya? I-is something wrong?" Wren looked absolutely panicked.

"Wren, let me see Sigyn," Freya ordered. She could practically see the gears in Wren's head turning. For a moment, she expected smoke to start coming out of her ears.

"I'm sorry, Lady Freya, I'm afraid Sigyn is…"

"Not feeling well, I know, just let me-"

"No, Lady Freya," Wren interrupted, her face becoming serious. "Sigyn is…not here."

Freya blinked only once, maintaining her composure. "What do you mean she's 'not here'?"

"I'm so sorry, Lady Freya. Sigyn made me promise that I wouldn't tell you. I gave my word and I-"

"Wren!" Freya exclaimed. "Where is she?"

"She's in Asgard. Or at least, that's what she told me. She said that she thought Odin was hiding something and she needed to find out what," Wren breathed.

"When did she leave?"

"Last night, just after dinner."

Freya took a step back in shock. "She's been gone that long?"

Wren nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but Sigyn made me

promise-" Freya held up a hand to silence her and smiled.

"You are a good friend for keeping your friend's secret, and an even better one for telling me now. I assure you, you will not be punished. But I must tell the King, and we must retrieve her, for I fear Odin will not be so easy on her." She gave Wren's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before leaving to find her brother.

* * *

King Freyr stormed through the palace of Asgard with righteous fury, his sister following close behind. A few Einherjar guards tried to stop him, but they learned their lesson quickly when the first few were sent flying through the air with a simple flick of his wrist. His pace did not waver until he reached the throne room.

Odin sat in his golden throne with a pensive look on his face. He didn't seem to notice the King and Lady until they were a mere few yards away.

"Ah, King Freyr and Lady Freya, what brings you to Asgard this fine day?" he said as he stood up.

"You know why I am here, Odin Borson," he growled.

Odin laughed. "If you are referring to your daughter, I can assure you that no harm has come to her."

"You will return her to me at once, and you will-" Freya placed a gentle hand on her brother's shoulder. Freyr scowled at her for a moment, but his expression softened when he saw her face.

"Allfather, My King and I would like to humbly request that you return Sigyn to us. I understand that she trespassed in your kingdom and broke the law. But she is young and impulsive, as your own son, Thor, is known to be."

Odin looked at them stone-faced. "Your daughter, King Freyr, tried to kill me last night."

Both of their mouths fell open. Freya's body began to shake, and Freyr placed a hand over the one that was holding his shoulder. "That's not possible," Freyr whispered.

"I would not lie to a fellow king, Freyr. Your daughter snuck into my chambers last night and attempted to slay me in my sleep."

Freyr watched as despair washed over his sister's face. He turned back to Odin. "If this is true, then, please, return her to me. She will be dealt with accordingly," he promised.

"I cannot simply allow a woman who tried to kill free. I must set an example for all the Realms to witness.

"No," Freya whispered.

"You're going to execute her?" Freyr breathed.

Odin's expression became grim, and he straightened his posture. "Yes," he answered.

Hysterical sobbing erupted from Freya, and she fell to the floor in a heap of tears. Freyr knelt to the ground wrapped his arms around her.

"Is there anything I could do to persuade you? You don't even have to give her back just please, don't kill her," he begged.

Odin took a step down. "There is one thing you," he mused.

"Anything, just tell me," Freyr choked.

Odin descended the stairs until he was standing just about two feet in front of them. "Give me the Diamond."

Shock consumed the Elf King's face. "The Diamond? You're willing to destroy my family all for the sake of some jewel?"

"It is no ordinary jewel, Freyr, and I am in need of its power."

"Odin, this is no time for your petty politics! Sigyn is due to be wed in five days' time!" Freyr shouted.

"Then I will give you four days to make your decision. Now, if you'll excuse me, my council is waiting for me." And with that, Odin strutted out of the throne room, leaving Freyr and Freya to wallow in their despair.

* * *

Sigyn sat on the small cot that was in cell. Her legs were crossed in front of her, and her head rested against the wall. No matter what she did, she could not sleep. She decided that she would simply concentrate on ignoring the crude comments being directed at her from the other cells. She found a moment's peace in all the chatter and allowed her eyes to flutter close.

"You look weary, love," Loki's cool voice purred from inside her cell. Her eyes shot open, and she saw the God of Mischief standing before her.

Her body tensed up as he stepped closer. She had nowhere to run, so if he attacked her, she would have to fight.

"Relax, Sigyn. I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, I'm not even here." Sigyn watched as a golden ripple ran over his face.

"An illusion?" she questioned. Loki nodded. Sigyn scoffed. "Couldn't be bothered to visit me in person?"

"Well, I can't speak to you as Odin anymore, so this is the best option," he explained.

"What do you want, Loki?"

He turned his back to her and sauntered over to the small table on the other side of the cell and picked up a cup. "I came here to inform you that your father and your aunt paid me a visit today," he cooed as her turned the cup over in his hand.

Sigyn immediately stood up. "What did you tell them?"

"I told them that you tried to kill me. Well, not me, of course. Odin. After all, I'm supposed to be dead."  
Tears threatened to spill down her face, but she bit them back as best she could. "And what else did you tell them?"

"I told them that you would be executed for your crime unless they gave me what I wanted," he stated casually.

She couldn't hold them back anymore; the tears streamed down her face as she guessed exactly what he wanted. "The Diamond."

"Precisely," he confirmed as he placed the cup back on the table. He looked back at her and smirked. "Don't worry, dear Sigyn. I have no intention of actually killing you."

"And why not?" she demanded.

"You are much too valuable to dispose of. Even if your father doesn't hand over the stone, I can still use you. The Light Elves have kept their spells to themselves for centuries. I would like to learn your secrets."

"I would sooner die than allow you to desecrate our sacred magic," she spat.

Loki laughed. "We'll see about that, love," he taunted. "Now, get some sleep. You'll need it." The words had barely left his lips before the illusion shimmered out of existence.

Sigyn sank into her cot and began sobbing uncontrollably. She hadn't cried like this since her mother's death, but the despair she felt now mirrored the despair she felt then. No matter what, Loki would get what he wanted, and all because she thought she could be the hero. No one had ever praised her for her talent with magic, or her ability to fight; they had only seen her beauty. The only people who had ever valued her for anything else were Wren and Freya, and it was entirely possible that she would never see either of them again. Her heart clenched at the morbid thought.

After several hours of crying and wallowing in misery, Sigyn stood up and began walking around her cell in circles. Fatigue threatened to consume her, and she wasn't about to give Loki the satisfaction. Eventually, however, she could fight it no longer; she collapsed on her cot drifted into a deep sleep.

(Line Break)

For the first time in several centuries, Loki had a dream.

He was back on the lifeless planet where the Chitauri first found him. He surveyed the area and saw nothing but rock and ash. As he took, his first step, he realized that there was no sound here. He walked aimlessly across the barren surface until something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Stepping closer, he realized that it was a woman. She was wearing all white and had her back turned to him.

"Hello?" he called out. The woman turned around, and he recognized her immediately. "Sigyn?"

Fear consumed her expression when she saw him. "Sigyn, I told you, I'm not going to hurt you," he said. She pointed to something behind her, and he realized that she had not been looking at him. Loki slowly turned around and was greeted by a sickeningly familiar face.

Thanos' mouth curled into a vicious smile. "Time to pay up, boy," he threatened as he reached out to touch him.

Loki shot up in his bed, gasping for air. After catching his breath, he quickly cast his Odin illusion over himself and found the nearest guard. "You!" he shouted as he approached him. The guard stood at attention for him.

"Bring the Princess of Alfheim to my study!" he ordered.

"Yes, sir," the guard conceded as he turned toward the dungeons. Loki was barely able to maintain his illusion as he made his way to Odin's study.

* * *

Sigyn's heart was pounding when she awoke. Panic washed over her entire body as she realized what had happened. _Loki saw my dream._ She hoped that he didn't realize it was her projecting her own dream. She prayed that he would simply believe that it was his own dream. That hope died as soon as she heard someone pounding on the wall of her cell. She looked and saw that it was a guard.

"The King demands your presence in his study," he announced as the energy field disappeared and he stepped inside. He quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the dungeons.

The guard did not let go of her as he brought her to the study. He stopped in front of the door and knocked. "My King, I have the prisoner you requested."

"Bring her in," the voice on the other side commanded. He opened the door and pulled Sigyn inside with him.

The fake Odin sat at his writing desk with his head resting in his arms. "Leave us," he ordered the guard. He gave a short bow before exiting the room and leaving the Princess and the King alone.

Loki dropped the illusion, wearing only his silk sleeping trousers and his robe. He turned his gaze to Sigyn, and the look in his sent shivers down her spine.

As he began advancing towards her, she stepped back. Her back hit the wall, and, with nowhere else to go, she sank to the floor and closed her eyes. She felt him wrap his fingers around her throat, and she opened her eyes to meet his.

"Why were you in my dream?" he questioned her. His face was mere inches away from hers, and she noticed that his breathing was labored. Sweat dripped down his forehead and his face was white as a sheet.

When Sigyn hesitated, Loki began to squeeze. "Answer me!" he shouted.

"I…wasn't…in your…dream. You…were in…mine," she managed to choked out.

"What do you mean?" His hand relaxed a bit, and Sigyn was able to breath again.

"I have a bad habit of projecting me dreams. I can't control it. At least, not yet."

Loki scrutinized her for a moment. "That creature…do you know who he is?" Sigyn shook her head. "Good," Loki replied as he removed his hand from her throat and stood up.

"Guards!" he shouted using Odin's voice. In no more than five seconds, Loki was back in his Odin form, and a guard had burst through the door. "Yes, my King?"

"Take the prisoner back to her cell," he ordered. The guard grabbed Sigyn's arm and pulled her to her feet and dragged her out of the room. "Come now, back to the dungeons," he said as he pulled her through the corridor.

The trip back to the dungeons was a blur to Sigyn; she was much too distracted to mind being forced back into her cell. She went over her conversation with Loki over and over again. Whatever that creature was that she saw in her dream, Loki was afraid of it, and she had a gut feeling that she should be afraid of it too.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"…and I brought the creature to its knees. It begged for mercy, and, being that I was in a gracious mood, I allowed the pathetic brute to live. But before he crawled away, I said, 'if you cross Sif and the Warriors Three again, we will make sure you regret it!'" The crowd in the tavern cheered as Volstagg finished regaling the story of their latest conquest. He jumped off the table he was standing on and threw his glass into the floor. "Another!" he shouted as he took his seat between Sif and Hogun.

"You tell the story as if you were the one to take down the beast, but as I recall, I'm the one who snapped his legs," Sif pointed out as she took a swig of her ale.

"Details," Volstagg scoffed as the barmaid placed another pint in front of him. He quickly snatched it and poured its contents down his throat. Sif rolled her eyes, but simply continued to drink. She stole a glance of Fandral in the corner whispering sweet nothings into the ear of nobleman's daughter. Hogun simply kept to himself and drank silently. Everything seemed to be in order, but Sif couldn't help but feel like something was wrong.

"Can you believe that the Allfather did that?" Sif's ears perked up. She immediately located the speaker a few tables away from them. "Excuse me for a moment, gentlemen," she said as she stood up.

"Sif? Sif, where are you going?" Volstagg asked, but she didn't look back. She approached the table with two off-duty Einherjar.

"Excuse me, good sirs, but what did the Allfather do?" she asked. The guard glanced behind him, and when he was sure no one else was listening, he leaned in closer.

"Apparently, Princess Sigyn of Alfheim broke into the palace the other night," he whispered.

"Sigyn? Of Alfheim? Why would she possibly want to break into the palace?"

"According to the Allfather, she was there to kill him."

Sif gave him a baffled look. "That's not possible. I know Sigyn. She wouldn't kill a sheep, much less the Allfather."

"I do not know, Lady Sif. I'm only telling you what the Allfather said."

Sif nervously tapped her fingers on the table. "And what did the he say he was going to do about this…intrusion?" she asked.

"Well, he told King Freyr and Lady Freya that he intended to put her to death unless they gave him some diamond."

"A diamond?" she questioned. "Or _the _Diamond."

"What's the difference?" Sif grabbed his shirt and pulled him across the table so that his face was no more than two inches away from hers.

"Answer the question," she growled.

"_The_ Diamond! It was _the _Diamond!" he stuttered in a panic.

"And how much time does the King of Alfheim have to deliver the Diamond?"

"The Princess is set to be married in four days. He now has three days to give the Allfather what he wants."

Sif dropped him, and found Volstagg and Hogun again.

"What was all that about, Sif?" Volstagg asked her.

"Wrap it up. We have a problem," she said them before turning around to find Fandral.

"Ah, Sif!" he exclaimed as she approached. "Why don't you tell this lovely maiden about the time I took down that Bilgsnipe in Vanaheim?"

"Later. Come on. We have a situation."

Disappointment was evident on his face as he turned to the girl. "Forgive me, my dear lady, but I have some urgent business to attend to." He gave her a quick kiss on the back of her hand before following Sif and the others out of the tavern. She led them into a secluded alleyway before stopping and facing them.

"All right, now that we're all here, do you mind telling us what in the Nine Realms is going on?" Volstagg questioned.

"I just spoke with a guard who told me that Sigyn is imprisoned in the dungeons of Asgard," she informed that. Fandral and Volstagg displayed looks of pure disbelief. While Hogun maintained his usual neutral expression, Sif noticed his eye twitch.

"Sigyn? That can't be true. Sigyn would never commit a crime against Asgard," Volstagg expressed.

"Volstagg is right," Fandral confirmed. "Sigyn couldn't possibly be a prisoner here."

"It gets worse," Sif whispered. "The Allfather claims that she tried to assassinate him."

Fandral and Volstagg were now slack jawed. "You can't be serious!" Volstagg exclaimed.

"Deadly," Sif assured him. "Her wedding is in four days, and Freyr has three to give Odin the Diamond."

They have her a puzzled look. "Diamond? Why would Odin risk war for some petty gem?"

"It is no ordinary jewel." Hogun spoke for the first time, and the others turned their attention to him. "It is a powerful relic, old as the universe itself."

"It is one of six. Any being who is in possession of all of them is said to be unstoppable," Sif added.

"The Tesseract and the Aether are also said to be part of this set," Hogun continued.

"What does it do?" Volstagg asked.

"It is said that the bearer can use it to walk through time: past, present, and future," Sif answered.

"How do you two know so much about this?" Fandral asked.

"We read," Sif answered.

Fandral rolled his eyes. "Right, whatever," he scoffed.

"Thousands of years ago, before any of us were born, an Agreement was made. Representatives from each realm decided that these stones were much too powerful to keep together, so they were scattered among six of the Nine Realms," Hogun continued. "But over time, many of the stones were lost or forgotten. We know where three of them are, but the other three are still missing."

"Are you implying that the Allfather is planning on collecting all of these stones?" Volstagg inquired.

"I do not know what he plans," Sif confessed. "But Odin was one of the representatives at the meeting all those years ago. He would not be demanding the Diamond from Alfheim on a mere whim."

"We need to find out what he is planning," Hogun said. Sif began marching out of the alleyway, and the others followed suit.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Fandral questioned.

"We need to speak with Sigyn," Sif announced.

"Well, we can't just march into the dungeons and have a chat with her. Odin will get suspicious," he pointed out.

Sif stopped in her tracks. "He's right. We'll have to think of another way."

"What was that device Thor was telling about? The one that Frigga used to talk to Loki when he was in prison?"

"Well, that's all well and good, but we still need magic to operate it, and in case you haven't noticed, none of us have any of that," Fandral huffed.

"I do," Hogun announced.

The others looked at him with astonishment. "Why have you never told us before?" Volstagg finally asked.

"You never asked."

Fandral threw his arms up. "Well, I suppose that settles that."

"Yes, let's go," Sif stated as they proceeded to the palace.

* * *

Sigyn couldn't get the image of a distraught Loki out of her mind. Her heart ached with pity for him despite the threats he made to her. She had known him since they were children, and he never once showed her his vulnerable side. Whatever that purple alien was, he had to be pretty bad to have Loki so shaken up.

A light appeared in the center of her room, pulling her out of her thoughts. She dreaded the thought of another visit from Loki and hoped he wouldn't be there too long. But she was truly surprised when she saw Lady Sif standing before her.

"Sif!" she exclaimed as jumped off of her cot. She almost leaned in for a hug, but remembered that it was merely an illusion. "It is so good to see a friendly face. But how did you know I was here?"

"Let's just say you're lucky the guards are such terrible gossips," she quipped.

Sigyn laughed. "Thank the Norns."

Sif gave her a brief smile before her face grew serious. "Sigyn, the guard told you that you are accused of trying to kill the Allfather. Is this true?"

Sigyn's face fell. "Sif, you have all been deceived. The person who sits on the throne is not Odin."

"What are you talking about, Sigyn?" Sif asked.

"It is Loki disguised as the Allfather," she answered.

Sif's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. "That's impossible," she whispered.

"Please, Sif, you have to believe me. I don't know how he managed to fake his death, but he has been living as Odin for what I suspect has been months."

"But what has happened to the real Allfather?" Sif tested.

"He is in the Odinsleep."

Sif shook her head. "That's not possible. Odin has never been in the Odin sleep this long."

"I believe Loki is using magic to keep him asleep," Sigyn responded.

Sif starred at her silently for several excruciating moments. Sigyn's heart pounded in her chest as Sif considered her words.

"Why does he want with the Diamond?" Sif questioned.

"I do not know, but…"

"But what?"

Sigyn paused. She didn't know anything about this being that Loki was trying to protect himself from, didn't even know if he was a real threat, but the feeling she had when she was in the dream was…unsettling.

"I think he's trying to protect himself from someone," Sigyn confessed.

"Who?"

"I don't know, but I sense that he's very ancient and very powerful."

A light seemed to go off in Sif's head. "That's why he wants to collect all of the Infinity Stones."

Sigyn nodded. "He cannot get the Stones, Sif. He is too fearful, too unstable. The power would consume him and the Stones would fall into the hands of…whatever is after him."

"You're right," Sif confirmed. "But first, we have to get you out of the dungeons and back to Alfheim."

"No!" Sigyn shouted. "Not Alfheim. I need to get to Midgard."

Sif looked at her quizzically. "Midgard? Why do you need to go to Midgard?"

"I have to tell Thor about Loki. He can help us take Loki down."

"What about your wedding?" Sif asked.

"The wedding can wait. This is more important."

Sif sighed. "Very well. How will you get there?"

"Don't worry," Sigyn assured. "I have a plan. But I will need your help. You and the Warriors Three."

Sif smiled. "Tell me what you need."

* * *

Fandral and Volstagg stood guard outside of the Queen's old chambers. They did everything they could to buy Sif and Hogun enough time to talk to Sigyn. Luckily for them, it wasn't a very well traveled area of the palace. But their luck ran out after about an hour when an Einherjar guard wandered into the corridor.

"What are you two doing outside of the Queen's chambers?" he asked them.

Fandral and Volstagg shot each other wary glances. "We…came here to mourn the loss of our beloved queen," Fandral answered nervously. Volstagg very subtly leaned back and knocked on the door quietly.

The guard raised on eyebrow. "You mourn your queen by loitering outside her chambers?"

"We all grieve in different ways, my friend," Volstagg breathed.

"Step aside, warriors," he ordered.

Fandral stepped in front of him. "I wouldn't do that, my friend. The Allfather would be very cross with-" The guard shoved Fandral and Volstagg out of the way and threw the doors open.

The two warriors breathed sighs of relief when they saw that the room was empty. The guard turned back and glared back at them. "I'm watching you two," he growled as he stormed out of the room.

The warriors looked at each other. "The observatory?" Volstagg asked. Fandral nodded as they left the palace together.

When they arrived at they abandoned observatory, they were relieved to find Sif and Hogun already there.

"What did she say?" Fandral and Volstagg asked in unison.

Sif's expression grew dark. "My friends, we have been played for fools."

"What do you mean?" Fandral questioned.

Hogun and Sif exchanged a grim look. "The Allfather is in the Odinsleep."

"What? Again? It's barely been two years since the last one!" Volstagg bellowed.

"When did he fall into it?" Fandral inquired.

"Sigyn suspects he's been in it for months," Sif informed him.

Fandral shook his head. "That can't be true. I am a member of his council. I've seen him several times in the past few months. He seems to be in perfect health."

"That's because the Allfather you have been seeing is not the real Allfather. He is Loki in disguise," Sif announced.

Fandral and Volstagg starred at Sif and Hogun in astonishment. When they didn't respond, Sif continued.

"We don't know how he did it, but he's managed to make all of Asgard believe that he is dead, and has been posing as Odin."

"Sigyn told you this?" Volstagg asked. Sif and Hogun nodded at the same time. "And you believe her?"

"I do," Sif confirmed. "She has a plan, and she'll need all of us to pull it off."

Fandral pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "This is absolute madness," he exclaimed.

"What would you have us do?" Volstagg asked.

Sif took a seat at the old table in the middle of the room. "First thing's first, I'll need a pen and parchment…"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Freya hadn't left her chambers since she returned from Asgard. She refused to eat and barely slept. Her grief consumed her every thought. Servants tried desperately to get her to at least change out of her nightclothes, but she curtly banished them from her bedroom. She was so absorbed in her own self-pity that she almost didn't notice when a piece of parchment fall from the ceiling and onto her writing desk.

She sat up in her bed and surveyed her room. She neither saw nor sensed any one nearby. Slowly, she stood up and approached the desk. When she was close enough, she discovered that it was an envelope. It didn't have a name or a seal on it. Instead, it simply had three words: 'Burn after reading'.

After examining it for a brief moment, she recognized the handwriting. _Sif. _She took another look over her shoulder to make absolutely sure that she was alone before opening the envelope and pulling the letter out.

As she read the words, her breathing became labored. What she read was unbelievable, but Sif had no reason to fabricate such an incredible story. It explained everything; why the Allfather had requested the Diamond, why Sigyn was being held captive, everything.

The last part of the letter explained Sigyn's plan. Freya's heart pounded as she absorbed every last word. At one point, she became so overwhelmed that she had to sit down. When she was finished, she gripped the letter in her hand and held it to her chest. It was incredibly risky; if something went wrong, they could all die. But she knew that it was Sigyn's best chance.

After taking a moment to establish a calm composure, she stood up from her chair and marched over to the fireplace. She took one last look at the crumpled piece of parchment in her hand before casting it into the flames. The paper turned to ash as she left the room in search of her brother.

* * *

The night before Sigyn's plan was to be set into motion, she had another dream. This one wasn't like the others though. It didn't consist of vague images of the future; instead, she saw memories of the past. Even stranger was the fact that they weren't her memories. They were Loki's.

Every single image contained unbearable sadness and pain. She watched as Odin told him about his true parentage. She watched him let go of the staff and fall from the Bifrost. She watched as hideous creatures dug their claws into his back, and he screamed out in agony. She watched as the Einherjar informed him of his mother's death.

When she woke up, tears were streaming down her face. She sat up and quickly wiped them away. A ray of light caught of eye, and she glanced at the door. Telling time in the dungeons was difficult, but she was close enough to the door that she could approximate based on the amount of sunlight she saw through the crack. _Sunrise._

Sigyn began rubbing her temples. This was no time to start feeling sorry for Loki; she only had a few hours before they would come for her. Sympathy was a luxury she couldn't afford.

She leaned back to rest her head against the wall, and took a deep breath. It would be the longest morning in her life.

* * *

When Loki woke up, he struggled for breath. Every terrible memory from the past three years had haunted him in his dreams. Sadness, anger, and grief all swirled within his mind, making him almost dizzy. As he tried to sit up, he realized that he was even more exhausted now than when he fell asleep.

Someone knocked on the door. "What is it?" he demanded in Odin's voice.

"The King of Alfheim is on his way here. He is ready to trade the Diamond for the Princess."

"Tell him I will be with him shortly," he responded quickly. He ran his fingers through his hair, and sat back against the headboard. His plan was working exactly as he wanted, but something in the back of his mind nagged him. He did his best to suppress this feeling as he got up, disguised himself, and marched towards the throne room.

* * *

"Princess Sigyn," the guard stated solemnly. Sigyn opened her eyes and threw him and the other three guards a weary glance. "The King of Alfheim has agreed to the trade. The Allfather requires your presence in the throne room."

She took a deep breath and pushed herself off of her cot. The golden force field in front of her disappeared, and two guards immediately swooped in and secured her wrists in handcuffs behind her back. They pushed her out of the cell and began leading her towards the exit.

Just as they reached the stairs, a sheath with two daggers fell from the ceiling. The guards quickly stepped back and pulled out their swords and shields. "What is that?" one of them asked.

"A distraction," Sigyn said coolly before kicking the nearest guard in the kneecaps. As the other guards began to charge, she stepped through her arms so that her hands would be in front of her. A guard swung his sword at her. She held her hands out in front of her, and the sword cut straight through the chains of her handcuffs. As he swung back and tried to hit her again, a hand caught his wrist.

"Don't you know that it's impolite to hit a lady?" Lady Sif quipped before kicking him in the stomach and throwing him to the ground.

"Sif, watch out!" Sigyn shouted. Sif whipped around and pulled out her sword just as a third guard charged her. It only took her a few seconds to disarm him and knock him out cold.

Sigyn felt a hand grab her shoulder, and she immediately pulled the assailant over her shoulder and threw him to the ground. The guard let out a moan of pain as Sigyn ran and picked up her daggers.

"Is that all of them?" she asked Sif as she fastened the sheath to her waist.

"Not yet. Since your father is here, Loki has tripled the security. We'll have to fight our way out," she informed her as she climbed up the stairs.

"How long do he think it will take Loki to figure out what's going on?"

"Oh, I'm sure he already knows. Which is why Hogun and Volstagg are taking care of it."

* * *

"We've brought you what you wanted," Freyr growled. "Return my daughter to me."

Odin gripped his staff. "Show it to me," he commanded.

Freyr turned to Freya and gave her a brief nod. She stepped forward with a small wooden box. Odin descended the steps of his throne and opened the box. Lying in the middle of it was a white diamond about the size of a child's fist. He gently picked it up and held it up to the light.

"You have the Diamond," Freya stated. "Please, bring Sigyn to us."  
Odin released a sickening laugh. "This, my dear lady, is not the Diamond."

He watched as shock consumed Freyr's face and fear consumed Freya's. "What are you talking about?" Freyr demanded. "Of course that is the real Diamond."

"No, it is not. Someone has used a decoy," Odin informed him.

Just as the words left as lips, the two Einherjar standing guard at the door fell to the ground. Freya grabbed her brother's arm and began pulling him towards the door.

"After them!" Odin roared, and half a dozen guards charged towards them. He stared wide-eyed as he saw Volstagg and Hogun dashing into the room. Hogun put what appeared to be a reed of some kind to his lips and blew. Darts flew out of the reed and hit two of them in the neck. The other four began attacking as they crumpled to the floor.

In the blink of an eye, the two men took down the guards and began leading Freyr and Freya out of the throne room. Odin tried to pursue them, but he wasn't fast enough. The door closed in his face, and he let out a deafening roar.

* * *

"Where is Fandral?" Sif shouted as she brought the hilt of her sword down upon an Einherjar's head. They had taken out three units and had finally made it to the front gates.

"I don't know," Sigyn grunted before plunging her dagger into another guard's thigh. "But we can't wait for him much longer." She heard a grunt from behind her and turned around just in time to watch a guard hit the floor with Fandral standing right behind him.

"My apologies, ladies," he greeted. "I had to take care of a few units in the east wing."

"About time," Sif huffed as she casually stepped over the unconscious guards and breezed past Fandral.

He ignored her as he took Sigyn's hand and kissed the back of it. "A pleasure to see you again, Princess Sigyn, even if the circumstances are…unfortunate."

Sigyn smiled. "It's nice to see you too, Fandral," she responded. "Now let's go."

Fandral nodded as he followed her down the steps of the palace.

"Halt!" a grizzly voice shouted. The three warriors turned around and saw another unit of guards running down the steps.

"Don't worry, ladies. I'll handle this," Fandral drawled as he unsheathed his sword.

Sigyn took a step towards him, but Sif stopped her. "We have to keep moving," she told her. She took one last look at Fandral before following Sif into the city.

Sigyn could barely keep up as Sif raced through the streets of Asgard. She half expected for someone to stop them, but everyone simply stepped to the side. Whether it was out of respect or fear, nobody wanted to get in Sif's way.

"Where did you say the portal was?" Sigyn breathed as they weaved through the lower streets of the city.

"Right beside the South Gate," she answered. As they drew closer to the gate, Sigyn felt a surge of adrenaline rush through her, and she began running faster. She was almost able to match Sif's speed by the time they found the portal.

The two women stopped to catch their breath. "Do you remember the rest of the plan?" Sigyn asked Sif.

"Start a resistance here while you find Thor on Midgard. Once you two are back, we will move in to take Loki down."

"Good," Sigyn confirmed as she looked at the portal. It was completely invisible to the untrained eye, but she could see the space where the energy was fluctuating. "And remember, don't make any decisive moves until you have enough manpower to overwhelm the Einherjar." Sif nodded.

Once her breathing had returned to normal, Sigyn stepped towards the portal. She heard Sif whisper 'good luck' just before stepping through and being sucked into a whirling tunnel.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Sir, I think you should look at this," Jarvis insisted.

Tony and Pepper both groaned. "You couldn't turn him off for the night?" she complained.

Tony glanced at the clock. "Jarvis, whatever it is, it can wait. Not even terrorists are up this early," he grumbled as he turned over in bed.

"Sir, I'm getting reports of massive energy readings in New Mexico."

"Great, let it be New Mexico's problem until about noon."

"Sir, these are Bifrost level readings."

Tony's eyes shot open and he sat up. "Any idea what it is?"

"No, sir," Jarvis answered.

Tony began getting dressed. "Can't this wait until the morning?" Pepper moaned.

"I can't risk another Asgardian psychopath making a mess again. Better nip this thing in the bud before things get weird," he responded as he sleepily trudged out of the room.

* * *

"What the hell is your problem, Stark?" Clint growled as he stormed into the living room, Natasha following close behind. "I can handle being woken up by an alarm, a siren, even an explosion. But playing 'Mockingbird' by Rob Thomas? You couldn't think of anything better than that?"

"What? I couldn't find a song called 'Hawkeye," Tony quipped.

"Count yourself lucky," Natasha said before turning to Tony. "Seriously, though, Stark, what's so important that I had to hear that stupid 'Black Widow' song at 3:45?"

"I'll wait 'til the rest of the class is here to give the assignment," Tony answered just as Steve stomped in.

"Stark, this had better not be one of your 'surprise' midnight parties, I swear to God, I'm gonna-" Steve began to charge him, but Natasha cut him off.

"We don't know why he woke his up, but he'll tell us once everybody's here," she told him. Tony gave him a satisfied smirk as he sat on the couch and folded his arms.

"You could at least tell me what that song was," Steve grumbled.

"I heard it. It was 'Born in the U.S.A' by Bruce Springsteen," Clint answered. Steve let out a humorless laugh and mouthed 'of course'.

"You know," the group heard Bruce mumble as he trudged into the room. "I don't remember ordering the 'Weird Science' wake up call." He stopped and looked around. "You guys too?"

"Yep," Steve answered. "The only one missing is-"

"STARK!" a deep voice boomed. Thor marched into the room with Jane tripping over herself to catch up.

"Thor, calm down, it's not a big deal!" she assured him.

"I am tired of these midnight festivities he refers to as 'parties' and hearing that damned 'Thunderstruck' song. I'm going to put an end to it once and for all," Thor responded as his hands curled into fists.

"Easy there, big guy," Bruce said. "Something tells me this is important."

"Thank you, Dr. Banner. Now that we're all here, I can show you why I woke you up at this ungodly hour," Tony said as he picked up the remote and turned on the TV. A thermal map of New Mexico appeared with a large red dot right in the middle.

"What is that?" Steve asked.

"That is a massive surge of energy in the New Mexican desert alarmingly similar to those S.H.I.E.L.D picked up when Thor and his buddies first visited Earth," Tony answered.

Everyone's eyes immediately turned to Thor. "You expecting any of your Asgardian fraternity brothers to pay you a visit?" Clint asked.

"I haven't received any notice from anyone in Asgard," Thor informed him.

"You don't have any idea who it could be?" Bruce questioned. Thor shook his head.

"It could just be a bored Asgardian going on a little vacation," Natasha commented.

"Or," Tony retorted. "It could be another Norse God megalomaniac trying to take over the world."

A collective groan sounded in the living room. "I know. I don't want to go either. But now that S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone, we have to do the grunt work. So suit up and meet me at the jet in ten."

* * *

It wasn't until Sigyn had been wandering through the desert for about an hour that she realized that she hadn't really thought through her plan very well. She knew that both the Bifrost and the portals led to the same location, and hoped that Thor would realize that she had passed through. But if he hadn't, it might take her years to find him.

After another few hours of wandering, the sun began to rise and she was able to find a small building with the words "Carly's Diner" emblazoned on it in bright lights. She tentatively approached the building.

"Welcome to Carly's Diner. How many?" a plucky young brunette asked her.

"I'm sorry?" Sigyn asked nervously.

"How many in your party, darling?" she explained.

"I'm sorry, I do not understand," Sigyn confessed.

The brunette laughed. "You're sure dressed funny. Must be coming from a con or something. You know, you look tired, sugar. Why don't you have a seat, and I'll bring you some coffee. My name's Laurie, by the way."

"Thank you, Laurie," Sigyn said before taking a seat in the nearest chair. She watched as women walked around carrying plates of food and patrons swallowing it with the ferocity of warriors after a long battle. It had been several centuries since she last visited Midgard. Things here seemed so different.

Suddenly, she heard an extremely loud noise come from outside. She leaped out of the chair and quickly unsheathed her daggers. As she ran out the door, a large, metal aircraft descended to the ground. It landed, and Sigyn braced herself as the door of the craft opened.

What appeared to Sigyn to be a metal man stepped out. "Drop the daggers and put your hands on your head," he ordered.

"Stay away from me!" Sigyn shouted as she tightened the grip on her blades and took a step back.

"Ma'am, I wouldn't do that if I were you," a second man wearing a red, white, and blue suit advised.

Two more men and a woman stepped out. The woman held a small metal weapon in her hands. One of the men held a bow and arrow, and the other just stood there looking as if he would explode at any moment.

Sigyn began to panic; she was severely out numbered and had no backup. Despite her power, she knew that these mortals could easily overwhelm her.

"Hold your fire!" a familiar voice bellowed. The five mortals all turned to see Thor storming out of the craft.

Sigyn lowered her daggers and sighed with relief. "Thor!" she cried.

"You know this girl?" the metal man asked.

"Yes, she is an old friend," he answered as he smiled at her.

Sigyn ran to him and threw her arms around him. "It's good to see you again," she whispered. "It's been such a long time."

"Yes, it has," Thor agreed. "You've come a long way just to visit."

Her face fell as she pulled away. "I'm afraid this isn't merely a friendly visit," she informed him.

Thor nodded solemnly. "I was afraid of that. Come, you can tell us all that has happened on the way back to the tower."

Sigyn shot a wary glance at the others. "Do not worry, Sigyn. They are our allies." She hesitated only a moment longer before following him onto the plane.

The others gave each other expressions with varying degrees of confusion. Finally, Tony shrugged and stepped onto the plane. "You guys coming?" he asked over his shoulder. They reluctantly followed him.

* * *

"What is it that troubles you, my friend?" Thor finally asked.

Sigyn rested her hands on her thighs and took a deep breath. The sensation of flying and the scrutinizing stare from the others were doing nothing to calm her frantic nerves. After a long pause, she managed to gather the courage to speak. "Asgard is under siege."

She watched as every muscle in Thor's body tensed and the others looked at each other skeptically. "By whom?" he questioned, his voice displaying a false calmness.

Her heart was racing and her palms were sweating. "I'm afraid you won't believe me…" she whispered.

"Sigyn, I must take all threats made against my home seriously. Please, just tell me." The look in his eyes told Sigyn that he was sincere.

"It's…Loki," she finally confessed.

Every set of eyes in the jet grew to the size of dinner plates. "That's impossible," Natasha whispered. "Loki's dead." She turned to Thor. "You told us that he was dead."

"That's what I thought too," Sigyn countered. "But I saw it with my own two eyes."

Thor stood up and began pacing around the jet. "This cannot be. He died right in my arms. I watched light leave his eyes…" He was starting to choke up.

"Thor, I'm so sorry. I cannot imagine how this must hurt you." Tears threatened Sigyn, but she bit them back.

"Woah, woah, woah, let's just hang on a minute. Just how exactly did you discover this?" Clint questioned.

Sigyn was a bit taken aback by the suspicion in his voice, but she stood her guard. "The Allfather came to Alfheim asking my father to loan the Diamond to Asgard."

"Alfheim?" Steve questioned.

"It is the home of the Light Elves," Thor answered distractedly. Clint muttered something about 'explains the ears' before Thor continued. "Sigyn's father Freyr is the king."

"What is this diamond?" Bruce inquired.

"It is a powerful relic that gives the wielder the ability to walk through time," Sigyn replied. "It is one of six powerful objects. The Tesseract is one of them as well."

Everyone on the jet became visibly nervous. The tension was almost unbearable, but Sigyn pressed on.

"I became suspicious of Odin and I snuck into the palace of Asgard. I found Loki using magic to disguise himself, and the real Odin in the Odinsleep."

Thor slammed his fist into the side of the jet, causing it to waver a bit. "Hey, easy in there," Tony he shouted over his shoulder as he flew the plane.

Thor collapsed into the nearest empty seat and rested his head in his hands. "Every time I think a part of Loki is still good, I turn around and he proves me wrong," he sighed.

Sigyn stood from her seat and crossed the room to sit next to him. "Thor, I know this is distressing to you, but you must stay focused. Your friends are in Asgard doing their best to fight Loki as we speak. They are going to need your help."

After several pregnant seconds, he raised his and looked at her with resignation in his eyes. "You are right. As soon as we land, I will leave for Asgard immediately."

"_We _will leave immediately," Steve corrected.

Thor and Sigyn both gave him a perplexed look. "Steven, you owe no loyalty to Asgard. I cannot ask you to lay down your life for my world."  
"You laid down your life for our world," Bruce pointed out.

"Does that me you're in too?" Steve asked. Bruce nodded.

"I'm in too," Clint chimed in. "I would love to sock that bastard right in the kisser."

Everyone else simultaneously looked at Natasha. She sighed. "It took six of us plus a whole covert organization to take him down last time. I'm not letting you idiots go in there alone."

"Great," Steve commented. "Now, we just have to convince Tony."

The jet finally landed, and Tony stood up. "No need. I'm in," Tony confirmed.

Thor smiled at his companions. "I am truly honored to have such worthy warriors fighting by my side."

"Save the sappy stuff until after we kick Loki's ass…again," Tony quipped as he quickly ran a maintenance check on his armor.

"How do we get there?" Natasha asked.

"We will go out onto the landing base and I will call Heimdall, and he will open the Bifrost for us."

"Great. Let's gear up and go. We'll meet back on the landing base in fifteen."

Everyone went their separate ways, but before Steve could disappear, Sigyn stepped in front of him. "You are the leader in this world, are you not?" she questioned.

"Well, not this world, but I guess I'm sort of the unofficial leader of this team," he answered modestly.

"Then I must ask you that when we find Loki, you do not kill him," she stated seriously.

Steve nervously glanced away from her, but quickly met her eyes again. "I swear I won't, but the others will want a little bit of payback. He brainwashed Barton, killed our friend, and destroyed Manhattan. They've all got a bone to pick with him," he answered honestly.

"I'm well aware of the horrors he has committed," she responded, a tinge of pain in her voice. "But I believe he is facing horrors of his own."

Steve narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I believe that while he was missing, something ancient and sinister captured him," she informed him. "I saw it in a dream."

"A dream?"

"Yes," she confirmed, swallowing a lump in her throat. Many of the people of Alfheim were skeptical about the ability to see the future and, from what she heard, Midgard was even worse. She silently prayed that he believed her. "It was a strange creature with purple skin. I don't know what he was, but I could feel that he was evil. I've never seen Loki scared, but when he saw this creature, he was terrified."

Her heart pounded as she watched Steve consider her words. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "All talk to the others, but I can't make any promises."

Sigyn gave him a sincere smile. "Thank you, Captain Rogers. It will be an honor to fight beside such noble warriors."

"Are you sure you want to go? You seemed pretty shaken up when we picked you up."  
"Do not fear," she assured him. "It will take more than a prison escape to deter me."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Sigyn and the Avengers stood in a circle on the landing base. Pepper pursed her lips and tapped her foot impatiently while Jane wrung her hands nervously. After giving his love a small but reassuring smile, Thor turned to the others. "Is everyone ready?" he asked. He was answered with a collective nod. Sigyn's muscles tensed as Thor lifted his head to the sky. "Heimdall, open the Bifrost!"

As the Rainbow Bridge consumed them and the mortal world disappeared around them, Sigyn heard Pepper shout, "Tony, if you die in Asgard, I'm going to kill you!" Sigyn was barely able to see Tony's smirk before being completely absorbed by the energy of the Bifrost.

The trip took less than a minute, but it managed to make Sigyn incredibly dizzy. After landing on her feet and gathering her bearings, she realized that everyone, save for Thor, was completely disoriented. Clint had fallen on his back with Natasha on top of him. Bruce was on his hands and knees trying his hardest not to vomit. Tony clung to the nearest pillar with white-knuckled intensity while Steve lay face-down on the ground, not moving save for his labored breathing.

"These are Earth's mightiest heroes?" Heimdall questioned.

Thor let out a deep-bellied laugh. "Forgive them for their lack of grace, Heimdall. They have never traveled the Bifrost before."

"You wanna give us a little warning next time, Thor?" Clint complained as Natasha pushed herself off of him and offered him a hand.

The others slowly regained their composure, and Heimdall removed his sword and stepped off his pedestal. "I am glad to meet all of you, though I regret it is under these circumstances," Heimdall expressed.

A somber energy settled over the group as they were reminded of why they were there. "What news do you have of Loki?" Sigyn asked him.

"He has managed to find a spell to block my view of him, so I do not know exactly where he is, but our sources tell us that he is still in the palace."

"Where are Sif and the Warriors Three?" Thor asked.

"They have been trying for the past day to breach Loki's defense. I fear that some of the Einherjar have sold their loyalty to him."

"You mean he's no longer disguising himself?" Sigyn asked.

"No. As soon as you were no longer in Asgard, Sif began informing the people of the false king," Heimdall replied. Then, in the blink of an eye, Sigyn watched as an arrow came flying at the gatekeeper's head, and he caught it with his bare hands.

"Get them!" the guard shouted. A battalion of soldiers flooded into the space and began attacking. Two guards rushed Sigyn, but two swift blows to their pressure points with the hilts of her daggers sent them crumpling to the ground. Throwing a glance over her shoulder, she quickly accessed the progress of the others. Natasha had eliminated one guard and was in the process of finishing off another. Steve knocked out three guards with one throw of his shield. Bruce was gone and the Hulk was throwing guards around left and right. Tony grabbed on of them by the throat and threw him across the room. Thor simply knocked Einherjar down with Mjolnir. Clint had an enemy in a chokehold with his bow. By the looks of it, they would also be finished with their opponents quickly.

Sigyn's conscience twitched with guilt for a moment for not assisting them, but she knew she had to reach Loki before the others did. She dashed out of the terminal and quickly began her journey to the palace.

It was midday in Asgard, and the streets were bustling with people. Sigyn had to balance appearing calm and collected with getting to the palace as quickly as possible. At first, no one paid her many mind. As she briskly wove her way through the more crowded areas of the city, she noticed people whispering and pointing at her. Thinking that they were simply remarking upon her unusual appearance, she ignored them. But as she approached the market, a piece of parchment pinned to a wall caught her eye. Her heart leapt into her throat when she show an intricate drawing of her own face staring back at her with the words 'Wanted Alive' written below it.

"Hey, you!" a rough voice shouted. Sigyn turned around to see a muscle-bound man rushing towards her. She wasted no time in sprinting away from the busy avenue.

After ten minutes of nonstop running, she glanced over her shoulder and was relieved to see that she had lost him. Just as she slowed her pace to a brisk walk, an arrow landed in the ground in front of her. She looked up and discovered about a dozen archers perched on the surrounding rooftops. "Sigyn of Alfheim, you are under arrest," one of them announced.

Her mind was paralyzed with panic, unable to process anything other than the threat in front of her. She was completely surrounded and, at this point; her companions were far behind her. She was alone this time.

Suddenly, she felt her magic begin to tingle in her fingertips. Without knowing exactly why, she closed her eyes and raised her arms above her head. As the archers began to lower their weapons, a surge of energy erupted from her body, knocking every one of them out cold.

Sigyn's eyes shot open, and she looked at her hands in confusion. She had never been capable of producing that amount of magic before. Where did it come from?

She shook her head. There would be plenty of time to worry about such things when this was over. For the time being, her only concern was Loki.

As she approached the palace, the number of guards began to increase. Fortunately, most of them seemed to be engaged in battle with rebels, no doubt recruited by Sif and the Warriors Three. When she finally reached her destination, a pile of bodies, most of them simply unconscious, lay at the foot of the steps. She ran up the stairs and pushed the doors open.

The scene inside of the palace was utter chaos. Dozens of one-on-one battles were taking place right in the middle of the Grand Hall, and smell of metal and blood polluted the air.

Sigyn was so distracted that she almost didn't notice the enemy charging her. Out of nowhere, Sif jumped between them and delivered a devastating blow to his shoulder. She turned to Sigyn and smiled. "One day on Midgard, and you've already lost your keen elf hearing?" she quipped.

"Sif!" Sigyn shouted. "I am glad to see that you are alive! What about the others?"

"All alive and fighting with the spirit of their ancestors," Sif answered. "Now, where is Thor?"

"He and the other Avengers are not far behind," she only somewhat lied. "Where is Loki?"

"He is in the palace, although I do not know where," Sif replied.

"I have a feeling I do," Sigyn confessed.

"Then we will go immediately."

"No!" Sigyn exclaimed. "You stay here and hold them off. I'll find Loki."

"Are you mad? It will take at least two of us to defeat him," she chided.

"Please, Sif, I must face Loki alone," Sigyn pleaded.

Sif gave her a long, scrutinizing stare before letting out an exasperated sigh. "You always have some complicated plan in mind, don't you?" she asked.

"I'm a bit like Loki in that way," Sigyn joked.

"May the Norns grant you victory," Sif recited before rejoining the other rebels in battle.

Without a moment to lose, Sigyn darted down the west corridor and wove her way through the golden antechambers. She didn't encounter any more guards until she reached the door with the two ravens engraved above it. The two guards spotted her immediately and rushed her. One of them swung at her, and she quickly ducked. He ended up hitting his companion in the chest and knocking him down. Sigyn took advantage of his momentary shock and kicked him in the knees. As he cried out in pain, she pushed the doors open.

Odin lay in the bed as Sigyn had first found him, completely motionless. She stepped in cautiously and closed the door, scanning the room for any sign of Loki. Just as she was about to reach the bed, an arm snaked around her waist. She tried to scream, but the sting of cold metal against her throat silenced her.

"I made a grave mistake in underestimating you, princess," Loki drawled into her ear. His voice was even, but Sigyn could sense his panic. Her body was completely rigid, the threat of the dagger against her neck rendering her paralyzed with fear.

"Loki, please," she whimpered.

He tightened his grip on her waist. "You have caused me a lot of trouble," he purred, an ounce of dread slipping into his voice.

"Loki, if killing me will bring you peace, then do it," she choked. Sigyn felt his body begin to shake. She slowly covered the hand that was holding the dagger with her own. "But, please, let me be the last."

As tears began streaming down her face, she heard the sound of metal hitting the floor. Loki pushed her away from him and turned his back to her. "Go," he whispered.

Sigyn blinked at him in confusion for several seconds before her body filled with white-hot fury. She grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to look at her.

"No," she seethed.

Now, it was his turn to blink at her. "What?"

"I'm going to stay here and you're going to listen to me," she asserted. When he didn't respond, she simply continued.

"Loki, you must surrender. The Avengers are here, and they are looking for any reason to kill you," she informed them.

"What difference does it make?" he snapped. "If they don't kill me, he will."

"Who will?" Loki gave her a stern look, but she could see the fear in his eyes. "Please, Loki, you have to tell me. I can't help you if you don't."

"I don't need your help." She flinched as if he had physically attacked her and dropped her hands from his shoulders. Loki looked her in the eyes for the first time and seemed distressed that she was crying. As he reached out to touch her face, the door swung open. Sigyn turned around and saw the Avengers filing into the room.

"Get your hands off of her," Thor growled at Loki. Loki pulled his hand back with an unreadable expression. "Hello, brother," he sneered.

"Sigyn, step away from him," Steve ordered. When she shook her head, he signaled for Natasha to get her. Without lowering her gun, she approached Sigyn, grabbed her arm with no tenderness and dragged her back to where the other Avengers were standing.

For a few moments, nobody moved. The Avengers stood their ground, and Loki simply starred at them with a blank expression.

"What are you waiting for, Cap? Give the order," Clint urged. Steve glanced at Sigyn. She shook her head, but he threw a look at Loki. _It's not my decision, _he seemed to say. _It's his. _

She locked eyes with Loki and mouthed 'please'. He held her gaze for several seconds, refusing to yield. She could practically feel the Avengers tightening their grips on their weapons and curling their hands into fists, ready to tear him limb from limb. Her heart pounded with sickening anticipation, and her lungs refused to breath. Finally, he raised his hands above his head.

"Alright, Natasha, let's take him in," Steve instructed.

She nodded and pulled out a muzzle and a pair of handcuffs. The others all starred at Steve in confusion. "Take him in? What are you talking about?" Tony questioned.

"We'll take him in and ask him some questions about this creature Sigyn was talking about," Steve replied.

"You can't be serious, Cap. How many times do we have to catch this asshole before you realize that he's too much trouble?" Tony insisted.

"I agree with the Captain. Killing Loki would only bring us down to his level," Thor admitted.

"No offense, dude, but you're not exactly an objective perspective," Clint pointed out.

"HULK SMASH PUNY GOD!" the Hulk shouted as he took a step closer to Loki.

"Easy there, Big Guy. I promise if he acts up again, you can smash him as much as you like," Steve soothed. The Hulk stomped off to the nearest corner, nostrils flaring.

"Where do you want me take him, Thor?" Natasha asked.

"The dungeons will due for now. Come, I will show you the way," Thor answered. As Natasha began leading Loki out of the bedroom, muzzled and handcuffed, Sigyn stole one last glance at him. He looked completely hopeless, and her heart twisted with guilt. She had to keep convincing herself that this was for the best.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The next few days were spent trying to clean up the mess that Loki had made. Odin was still in the Odinsleep, requiring Thor to act as King until the Allfather came to. Thor, Sigyn, Sif, and the Warriors Three had all taken turns watching the Allfather, waiting for him to wake up.

Today, it was Sigyn's turn. She didn't mind watching the Allfather, but she hated being excluded from the discussions of what was to be done next. Even after his muzzle was removed, Loki remained completely silent, much to her frustration. How was she supposed to fight this mysterious creature when she didn't even know what it was?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Odin shifting in his bed. Sigyn quickly jumped out of her seat and knelt down beside him. "Allfather?" she whispered.

He turned his head towards her and smiled. "Hello, Princess Sigyn."

Sigyn sprinted towards the door and found the nearest guard. "Tell the Prince that the Allfather has awakened." The guard gave her a brief nod of confirmation before disappearing down the corridor. She rejoined Odin by the bed. "Thor will be pleased to see you," she said.

"And I will be pleased to see him," Odin responded.

Sigyn nodded and bit her lip, not sure of how to ask the question that had been burning in her mind since she first saw him completely motionless in the bed. "Allfather, is it true that you are aware-"

"Aware of what goes on around me even when in the Odinsleep?" he finished. Sigyn nodded nervously. "Yes, it is true."

"So you saw…"

"Everything," the Allfather confirmed.

Her stomach churned at the thought of him witnessing her interactions with Loki in the Allfather's sacred chambers. "So you know that Loki is alive?"

"I do," he answered solemnly.

Sigyn hung her head as if she was grieving some terrible loss. "I am so sorry, Allfather," she whispered.

"What is there to be sorry for? My son is alive. I could not be more overjoyed," he replied sincerely.

Sigyn's face twisted in confusion. "But, he betrayed you."

"No matter what he does, I will still love him as my son. I realized this when I was first told that he was dead. When I discovered he was alive, I was filled with relief."

Sigyn considered his words, wondering if Loki realized how much Odin really cared for him.

"I must commend you for your courage, Princess Sigyn. Even my most valiant warriors wouldn't brave Loki alone," he commented, pulling her out of her own thoughts once more.

"I…I simply did what I had to do," she responded tentatively.

The Allfather raised a hand to silence her. "You do not have to be humble with me. Bravery should be praised."

At that moment, the door flew open and Thor came rushing in. Sigyn swiftly moved out of the way so that Thor could see his Odin. "Father…"

"It is good to see you, Thor." Sigyn stood to the side, feeling like an intruder on their family moment. As she made her way out the door, she turned back to absorb the heart-warming scene. Her heart swelled with both joy and jealousy. She was happy for them, of course, but she also envied their relationship. She had never seen the kind of pride in her father's eyes that she saw in Odin's.

She suddenly realized how selfish she was being and mentally chastised herself. _This is not about you, _she reminded herself. _This is about them. _After stealing one last glance at the father and son, she made her leave.

* * *

By the next morning, Odin was nearly back to his full health and seated on the throne of Asgard once more. Sigyn surveyed the room of anxious faces. The Avengers, Sif, and the Warriors Three had all gathered in the throne room to discuss what would happen next. Despite the turmoil that had recently entered her life, Sigyn hadn't had a dream for at least a week. Though the dreams were never pleasant, the fact that she had no insight into the future had her stomach turn.

"Father, Sigyn tells us of a dark force she has seen in her dreams. She believes Loki deceived us and tried to obtain the Diamond for the purpose of protecting himself from it. Do you know of any being of this nature?" Thor asked.

Odin stroked his chin thoughtfully. His expression gave nothing away, but when he spoke, his voice was laced with somber realization. "I do. He is often called the Mad Titan, but his true name is Thanos."

The mere mention of his name sent shivers down Sigyn's spine and, by the looks on their faces, the others felt the same.

"I have never heard of such a creature," Sif commented.

"He lives in the shadows and enacts his will through his various armies and allies. Many civilizations have been wiped from existence by his command."

A nervous energy enveloped the room full of hardened warriors. Sigyn stole a glance at Odin. He kept his face stoic, but she could see the apprehension in his eye.

"What would this Thanos want with Loki?" Steve questioned.

"That, I cannot say. But if the Mad Titan is determined to have Loki, he will stop at nothing to get what he wants."

"Perfect! Then we just hand him over, and kill two birds with one stone," Tony stated confidently.

"No!" Sigyn shouted. Everyone, save for Odin, stared at her as if she was insane. "We cannot make Loki our sacrifice."

"I'm afraid Princess Sigyn is right," Odin confirmed. "Thanos would not just stop at Loki. He would demand the Tesseract, and if we refused to give it to him, he would take it by force."

"The Tesseract? But why?" Bruce questioned.

"He created it. He will see it as taking back what is his," Odin answered gravely.

Sigyn heard a collective gasp echo off of the walls of the throne room. They were all thinking the same thing: whatever this Thanos was, he was more powerful than anything they had ever encountered before.

Several moments of uneasy silence passed between them before Clint finally broke the silence. "Well, what now?"

For once, no one seemed to have any ideas. This group of nearly unstoppable warriors was utterly lost. This challenge loomed over them like a hurricane raging in the distance, a force of nature with no regard to the lives of anyone.

"We need to gather the other Stones," Sigyn finally said.

"The other stones?" Steve questioned.

"Yes. The Tesseract is one of six powerful artifacts. I never knew of their creator, but I read about them many times. They are powerful on their own, but together, they would be unstoppable," Sigyn asserted.

"So where are the others?" Natasha asked.

"One resides within my home land, Alfheim," Sigyn offered.

"Volstagg and I know where the Aether is," Sif added.

"Okay, so that's three. Any idea where the other three are?" Tony asked.

Sif and Hogun exchanged a concerned look. "When the Infinity Stones were first taken from Thanos, a Council with Representatives from each of the realms agreed that they were too powerful to be kept in one place, so they were separated and taken to several different worlds. Unfortunately, some of the civilizations that possessed a stone have fallen, and the locations of the stones have been lost."

"Oh, great," Tony gripped. "So we're basically playing a game of cosmic scavenger hunt here?"

"There is someone who might know," Sigyn mentioned. The group gave her an inquiring look before she took a deep breath and continued. "Loki."

"What?" Clint exclaimed. "You can't be serious."

"Loki has been searching for these stones for a while now. Surely he's been able to locate at least one of them," she insisted.

Thor turned back to Odin. "Father, what do you think?"

"I think that Sigyn is right," Odin answered without hesitation. "Finding the other stones is your best chance."

"Well, I guess we have a plan…sort of," Steve sighed.

"We need to get back to Earth," Natasha pointed out. "We need to rest and resupply."

"We will take Loki and the Tesseract back with us," Thor stated. The other Avengers nodded in agreement.

"I will go to Alfheim and retrieve the Diamond," Sigyn stated. "I will return to Midgard once I have it."

"We'll have a jet waiting for you at the portal," Tony assured her. As everyone filed out of the room, Sigyn lingered behind.

"What troubles you, child?" Odin inquired once they were alone.

Sigyn inhaled deeply. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to the question she was about to ask, but she simply had to know the truth. "Do you…do you believe that he would have done it?" she asked timidly.

A small smile formed on his face. "Do you?" he countered.

Sigyn was slightly taken aback by this response. "I…I do not know," she admitted.

"I have heard of your fierce loyalty, Sigyn, and, so far as I can tell, it has not betrayed you yet. Trust your instincts."

Sigyn returned his smile and gave him a small bow. "Thank you, Allfather."

As she turned her back to him and opened the door, she could have sworn that she heard him whisper, "May the Norns watch over you both," before she shut the door.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

As soon as Sigyn stepped through the portal into Alheim, her nerves were on edge. Something felt very, very wrong, but she couldn't quite place it. As she left the forest and entered the city, the foreboding feeling continued to haunt her. The streets were unusually empty for midday. The few people she did see didn't greet her like they normally would; instead, they simply pointed and whispered among themselves. It was as if she was still in Asgard with wanted posters of her face plastered on the walls.

The guards at the palace stepped aside as she entered through the oak double doors, but without their usual affectionate smiles. Sigyn swallowed a lump in her throat as she made a beeline for the throne room. She found the familiar doors and hastily threw them open.

"Father!" she cried as she approached the throne on the other side of the room. "We do not have much time! I must request-" She stopped speaking when she saw who was sitting on the throne.

"Eero?" she breathed. The golden-eyed warrior gave her an annoyed look.

"Ah, Princess Sigyn, so nice of you to join us," he spat.

"What are you doing? Where is the King?"

"The King has fallen ill, and asked me to rule in his place," Eero informed her with a satisfied smirk.

"Why would he ask you? Where is Freya?"

"Freya has been arrested for her treason."

Sigyn took a step back from him as if he had physically assaulted her. "Treason? What for?"

"For lying to the King, and going behind his back to help you," he stated casually.

"That is absolutely ridiculous! I demand to see my father this instant!"

"You are in no position to be making demands, Princess." Eero stood up from the throne and descended the steps. "You see, I am the King now. You may be the queen, but your influence will matter little."

"I will never be your queen," she sneered.

"You won't have a choice. Your little adventure in Asgard may have delayed our wedding by a few days but, come sunrise, you and I will be married, and I will ascend to the throne permanently."

"And what happens to me once we are married?" she snapped.

He released a sickening laugh. "Do not worry, Sigyn. I will still require an heir."

Sigyn's body tensed. She knew she should be surprised, but she wasn't. She had seen the ambition in his eyes the moment their betrothal was arranged. While the other warriors desired her body, Eero only had eyes for the throne. At first, she was relieved. His wish to rule would take the pressure of the kingdom off of her, and his disinterest in her would mean that she wouldn't have to perform many…wifely duties. It wasn't until that moment that she realized how childish and selfish she had been.

"You won't get away with this," she growled.

Eero laughed. "I believe I already have," he purred into her ear. Guards, arrest her."

She felt a wave of panic consume her as half a dozen guards surrounded her. Her heart nearly beat out of her chest as one of them reached out to grab her. And then, the panic turned into something else: power. She recognized the feeling; it happened when she was surrounded in the market in Asgard just days before. She closed her eyes and waited for the worst.

Sigyn acted almost instinctively. Her hands curled into fists, and just as the guard was about to touch her, she released the energy that had been building up inside her.

When she opened her eyes, she expected to see the guards lying on the ground in an unconscious heap; instead, she found the whole room frozen in time. Eero and the guards stood still as statues, not moving save for their panicked eyes darting around the room in confusion. While Sigyn wished she had time to take advantage of Eero's vulnerable state, she knew she had more important business to attend to.

Sigyn quickly found the dungeons, and was relieved to discover that her magic had reached the entirety of the palace. The guards were all frozen either mid-step or mid-sentence. The only moving being in the prison was Freya, who was in a cell at the very back. When she saw Sigyn, her expression went from confusion to relief.

"Sigyn! Thank the Norns you are alive," she cried. She smiled at her aunt as she located the guard with the keys.

"We don't have much time, Aunt Freya. I don't know ho long the magic will last," Sigyn explained.

"Did you do this?" Freya questioned, pointing at a frozen guard. Sigyn nodded as she unlocked the cell.

"How?" Freya asked as she stepped out of the cell. Clearly, this was magic beyond even Freya's ability.

"I…I do not know, but we haven't the time to worry about it now. You need to go to the portal in the forest leading to Asgard. Odin will provide you asylum."

"What about you?"

Tears threatened to cloud Sigyn's vision as she realized that this might be the last time she sees her aunt. She silently prayed to the Norns that the Avengers would defeat Thanos and she would make it back home. "Please, Aunt Freya, just trust me," she begged.

Freya smiled and pulled her into a tight hug. "I always have, Sigyn. Just promise me that you will be careful."

"I promise," Sigyn whispered. Freya released her and gave her one more heartfelt smile before turning her back to Sigyn and heading towards the forest.

Sigyn wiped away a stray tear and left the dungeon. There was one more person she had to make sure was all right: Wren. She made her way to the east wing where her friend's room was located. Throwing open the door, she scanned the room quickly. No sign of Wren.

_Where is she? _Sigyn thought as she rummaged through the room. Surely there was something that could tell her where Wren was…

And then it hit her. _Wren's diary. _Sigyn began searching the closet. She found a spot on the wall with craving of a bird and smiled. Placing her hand over the seal, she released a small burst of magic. The outline of a tiny door appeared along with a handle. Sigyn pulled open the door and retrieved the leather-bound diary.

She quickly flipped it to the last entry and smiled to herself. It was written in a totally nonsensical language that had never been spoken in the history of time. _And people thought I was the clever one, _she mused to herself as she waved her hand over the pages. The letters rearranged themselves into coherent and readable sentences:

_Dear Diary,_

_ Writing down my plans is probably not the wisest choice I have ever made, but I am simply going mad keeping everything to myself. Besides, the chances of Eero both finding this diary and being able to translate my gibberish are very slim._

_Eero has taken control of Alfheim, and I fear he will use me as leverage to draw Sigyn back and arrest her. I simply cannot allow this to happen, therefore, I will be leaving Alfheim. I have friends in Vanaheim who have already agreed to host me while this political debacle plays out. I will leave by the cover of night._

_I do not know how long it will take Sigyn to take Eero down, but I have faith in her. She is not one to give up so easily. Eero will be defeated, and Sigyn will become the most worthy monarch Alfheim has ever seen. Her coronation will be a ray of light in this time of darkness._

Sigyn smiled as she closed the book and returned it to its place. Her heart swelled with joy and pride. Her friend was clever enough to escape before things became worse. She was relieved that Wren could take care of herself, but she wished that she had had a chance to say goodbye.

Sigyn knew she couldn't afford to dwell on it. She left the room and found the staircase leading to the vault. When she saw the guards frozen in place on either side of the adamantium door, she breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever magic she enacted was still working, but she wasn't sure how long it would last.

As she approached the door, she unsheathed one of her daggers. She forced the tip off the blade into her palm and drew it across. The pain was unpleasant, but royal blood was the only way to open the door. She pressed her palm against the cold metal and quickly pulled away. The red handprint remained for only a moment before being absorbed into the metal. The door slowly opened, revealing Alfheim's most prized possessions.

The Diamond sat behind a glass case in the middle of the vault. One swift kick shattered the glass around the yellow gem. Sigyn picked up the Diamond and immediately felt its power. She knew that if Eero had thought to use it, it would surely corrupt him even further.

"Halt!" a voiced shouted from behind her. The two guards who were frozen in place thirty seconds before were now holding their spears out in front of them, prepared to attack. The magic had worn off.

Sigyn took a step back, and the guards began to charge her. She tightened her grip on the Diamond. She didn't know how its magic worked, but at this point, it was her only hope.

The Diamond began to feel hot in her hand, and she looked down. A bright white light was radiating from the gem. The guards stopped and took a few steps back. "What is that?" one of them whispered.

The light became so intense that Sigyn had to close her eyes. The air around her became thin, and she realized that her feet were no longer touching the ground. Suddenly, she felt like she was falling. Her several minutes, she fell through the air, unable to grasp onto anything with shape or substance. Eventually, her back hit the ground with a painful thud.

She opened her eyes, but her vision was blurred. After blinking her eyes several times, her surroundings came into focus. The Avengers were standing in a circle in the living room of Stark Tower looking down on her. After another moment of analyzing her immediate vicinity, she realized that Steve was talking to her.

"Sigyn? Sigyn? Are you alright?" he asked. She opened her mouth, intending to answer him. Instead, she let out an undignified moan of pain. Steve made her sit up and put his arm around her shoulders. Bruce kneeled down in front of her and pulled out a small flashlight. "Follow the light with your eyes. Don't move your head," he instructed. He turned the light on, and Sigyn did as she was told. Bruce turned the light off and picked up her bloody hand. "What happened?" he asked.

"I needed to open the vault," she managed to choke out. Bruce threw Thor a concerned look. She assumed that Thor nodded because Bruce simply shrugged and pulled out some bandages.

"Well, there doesn't appear to be any brain damage, but she'll need a few days," she asserted as he began bandaging her hand. She wanted to protest and tell him that she could heal herself, but she stopped herself. Considering that she could barely speak, she doubted that she could muster up the energy to use magic.

"Why are you so beat up? Did dad have a problem with you borrowing his toys?" Tony asked.

Rage boiled inside her, but she was too weak to express her true anger and sadness. "I was…betrayed," she finally whispered.

"Betrayed? What do you mean?" Thor questioned frantically.

Bruce held up a hand. "She can recap us once she's had some sleep," he insisted before turning back to her. "Did you get it?"

Sigyn realized that she still had a death grip on the Diamond. She slowly lifted her other hand and opened it. The four men widened their eyes at her. "You can touch it with your bare hands?" Bruce questioned.

"Umm…yes?" she answered tentatively.

Tony quickly found a leather glove and plucked the Diamond from her hand. "I'm not taking any chances," he said before disappearing into a password-protected room.

Her head began to slump to the side, and Steve scooped her up in his arms. "Alright, looks like it's time for bed," he laughed as he carried her down the hallway.

"You sound like my father," she joked.

Steve laughed again. "Not exactly what I was going for."

Suddenly, she remembered something that was bothering her the entire time she was in the living room. "Where are Natasha and Clint?" she asked.

"Well, Clint was in New Mexico waiting for you. We weren't expecting you to just appear in the living room."

"And Natasha?" she questioned.

"She's…questioning Loki," he answered nervously.

She wanted to ask him what they were doing to get Loki to talk, but her eyes refused to stay open. Seconds later, she felt herself drifting into an uneasy sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Alright, Loki, start talking. Where are the other Stones?" Natasha was leaning against the table that sat in the middle of the interrogation room. Loki sat on the other side with his hands handcuffed underneath. Both refused to be the first to break eye contact.

"And why would I tell you?" he sneered. "I'm not in the business of aiding my enemies."

"Because you and I have a common enemy now," Natasha stated coolly. "Thanos."

Natasha noticed Loki becoming physically uncomfortable. "You really think you can defeat him? Don't make me laugh."

"We defeated you," she reminded him.

Loki narrowed his eyes at her. "Thanos is the most powerful being in the universe. You people are in over your heads."

"Well, we definitely won't be able to beat him if we don't have the Stones."

"Then you had better find them yourself because I am not helping you," he asserted.

Natasha pushed herself off of the table and circled around him. "I really didn't want to have to do this," she hummed. Suddenly, he felt her grab the back of his head and slam his face into the table. Loki blinked in surprise as he tried to refocus his vision. Drops of red had fallen onto the white table.

Just as he thought he had recovered from the blow, Natasha's fist slammed into his left cheek. For a moment, the room seemed to spin, and Loki had to bite back tears of pain.

"Had enough yet?" Natasha asked as she took the seat opposite him. Loki simply stared at her as he tried to even his breathing. "What's that? You don't have some snappy comeback?"

"Is that the best you've got?" he spat.

The corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk. "Sweetheart, I'm just getting warmed up." She stood up, no doubt ready to deliver another bone shattering blow. She pulled her fist back, but just as she was about to strike, she frowned. Loki heard a quiet voice, and Natasha pressed her fingers against her ear.

Loki couldn't hear everything the voice said, but he heard one thing very clear. _Sigyn is back. _While he internally sighed with relief, Natasha externally sighed with disappointment. "Well, it looks like you're off the hook…for now," she quipped before turning her back him and leaving the room.

* * *

Sigyn tossed and turned in an uneasy sleep. Her dreams had come back, but they were still scattered and unformed. Fragments of images taunted her with their meanings that she just couldn't put together. She woke up suddenly, gasping for air.

"Good morning, Princess Sigyn. Did you sleep well?" an unfamiliar voice greeted.

Sigyn surveyed the room, but found that she was alone. "Who was that?" she asked frantically.

"Do not worry, Princess Sigyn. I am Mr. Stark's artificially intelligent assistant. My name is J.A.R.V.I.S. and I will be here to assist you with whatever you need."

"So, you are a man without a body?" Sigyn inquired.

"That's one way of putting it, Princess Sigyn," he replied.

Sigyn noticed a mirror hanging from the door and got up to examine herself. She still wore the same clothes she was wearing when she left Alfheim, which were now wrinkled, and her hair was a disheveled mess. "J.A.R.V.I.S., how long was I asleep?"

"Thirty-five hours, twelve minutes, and forty-seven seconds.

Sigyn's eyes widened. Had she really been asleep for nearly a day and a half? "Well, then I suppose I will require a bath and a change of clothes."

"Of course, Princess Sigyn." A door that Sigyn had not seen before suddenly flew open. "This is the bathroom," J.A.R.V.I.S. explained. She took a cautious step inside and heard the sound of running water. "I've already started the bath for you."

"Thank you, J.A.R.V.I.S," Sigyn responded as she approached the object she assumed was the bath basin. She watched as water came pouring out of a silver faucet. Dipping her hand into the water, she was pleased to discover that it was just the right temperature. She began removing her clothes, but stopped when she had removed everything but her tunic. "Um, J.A.R.V.I.S.?"

"Yes, Princess Sigyn?"

"You can't…see me, can you?" she asked nervously.

"No, Princess Sigyn. There are no cameras in the bathrooms." Sigyn wasn't sure what his last statement meant, but she felt at ease as she removed her tunic and stepped into the perfectly warm water. After a brief explanation of how to use it from J.A.R.V.I.S., Sigyn picked up the bottle of shampoo sitting on the edge of the tub, poured a little in her hand and began massaging it into her hair. The scent didn't quite compare to the soaps and lotions of Alfheim, but it was still pleasant. She hadn't felt this at peace in a while, despite the memory of her dream looming in the back of her mind.

After fifteen minutes of lounging in the tub, Sigyn stepped out and wrapped a towel around her body. She cast a spell to dry her hair and stepped back into the bedroom. "Are there clothes for me, J.A.R.V.I.S.?"

"Yes, Princess Sigyn, in the closet." Another door flew open, revealing a closet full of clothes. She stepped inside and found the outfit that was most familiar to her: a loose-fitting white tunic with a pair of brown leather pants and laced-up riding boots. As she braided her white hair, she heard her stomach growl. Before she could even open her mouth, J.A.R.V.I.S. piped up. "Ms. Potts is almost done with breakfast if you would like to meet her in the kitchen."

"Thank you," Sigyn whispered as she exited her room and looked in either direction.

"To the right at the very end of the hall," J.A.R.V.I.S. informed her.

Sigyn followed his directions and found the door at the end of the hall. The scent of food cooking made her mouth water as she pushed open the door. Behind it, she found a room full of silver contraptions and a red-haired woman standing in front of one humming to herself. "Um, pardon me?" Sigyn muttered. The woman stopped humming and turned around. Her eyes widened at the sight of Sigyn, but she did her best to ignore the staring. "Are you Ms. Potts?"

"Oh, honey, you can call me Pepper," the woman said as she put down the utensil she had been holding and approached Sigyn. "Sorry for staring, by the way. People from…our world don't really look like you." The woman held out her hand for Sigyn.

"It is of no consequence," Sigyn replied sincerely as she shook Pepper's hand. "Are you the cook?"

"Hardly," Pepper laughed. "I'm Tony's girl. The cooks on vacation." Sigyn nodded in understanding and turned back to where the delicious smell was coming from. Pepper laughed again. "You were out for a day and a half. You must be hungry." She went back to the food and found a plate. After filling it with eggs and bacon, she handed it to Sigyn. "There you go."

"Thank you," Sigyn replied before taking a tentative bit of her food. Once she discovered that it tasted just as delicious as it smelled, she quickly ate the rest of it, all the while ignoring decades worth of etiquette lessons.

Pepper took a seat next to her with her own plate. "Wow, you really were hungry."

Suddenly, the door opened, and two brunette women stepped into the room. "I mean, Stark's a tech expert, not a physicist! He should let me take a-" The taller of the two women stopped and starred at Sigyn, and the shorter one soon did the same. "Um, hi. You must be Sigyn. I'm Jane," the first woman mumbled as she held out her hand for Sigyn.

"It is nice to meet you, Jane. I have heard much about you from Thor," Sigyn greeted as she took Jane's hand.

"Really?" Jane practically squealed as her cheeks began to redden.

The other brunette suddenly shot her hand out. "Hi there. I'm Darcy. I'm the one here who doesn't have a superhero boyfriend," she introduced.

"Pleased to meet, Darcy."

The women quickly acquired plates of food and joined Sigyn and Pepper at the table. "So, Thor told us that you're a princess or something?" Darcy questioned.

"That is correct. I am the Princess of Alfheim," Sigyn confirmed.

"Elfheim? I guess it explains the ears and the weird yellow eyes."

The words had barely left Darcy's lips when she let out a small yelp of pain. "I'm sorry about my friend. She isn't the most…socially adept person in the world," Jane apologized as Darcy threw her an offended look.

"It is quite alright. I know that I must look strange to you," Sigyn assured her.

Suddenly, the door opened again and Tony strutted into the room. "Good morning ladies. Sigyn! Glad to see you're awake. Feeling better?"

"I am. Thank you."

"Great! Girls, do you mind if I borrow Sigyn for a little while? Official world saving business and all that," Tony asked as he approached the princess.

"Would you listen to us to if we said no?" Pepper countered.

"Only if you use the safe word," Tony quipped with a wink. Pepper rolled her eyes as Tony held out a hand and helped Sigyn out of her seat. "After you, my lady."

Sigyn left the room with Tony close behind her. "I'm assuming that you do not want them to know about the specifics of our predicament?" she questioned as he lead her to the living room.

"The less they know, the better. I don't want them getting involved." Sigyn laughed. "What?" Tony questioned.

"Midgardian men are always underestimating their women," Sigyn chided.

Tony shrugged. "Protective instinct, I guess."

They reached the living room together and found everyone there. Everyone in the room seemed to be pleased to see her, each one giving her a sincere smile. "Hello Sigyn. Did you sleep well?" Steve asked. Sigyn nodded, deciding not to tell him about her dreams. She knew they probably wouldn't be any good to the Avengers anyway. "Good. First things first, what did you mean when you said you were betrayed?"  
The memories of the incident in Alfheim came flooding back to her, and rage boiled inside of her. "My betrothed-well, the man who was my betrothed- took the throne of Alfheim while I was in Asgard. He has somehow incapacitated my father and had my aunt arrested."

Everyone exchanged wary glances. "So I suppose we won't be getting any help from Alfheim?" Clint asked. Sigyn shook her head.

"What about your father and your aunt? Aren't you worried he'll try to use them against you?" Bruce questioned.

"I have already broken my aunt out of prison. Eero will not hurt my father. If the king dies and we are not married, he will have no right to the throne," Sigyn explained.

"Well, at least she got the Diamond," Natasha commented.

Thor placed a hand on Sigyn's shoulder. "I am sorry, Sigyn. It is easy to heal a wound. It is not so easy to heal a heart."

"Thank you, Thor, but I bore no love for Eero. The engagement was arranged without my consent. I do not plan on dwelling on it," Sigyn assured him somewhat sincerely. She turned back to Steve. "Has Loki told you anything?"

"Not a word. Natasha's been working on him, but no dice," he answered.

"Let me talk to him. Maybe he will tell me something." Sigyn watched Steve and Natasha exchange a nervous look. Thor's comforting smile was replaced with a guilt-ridden expression. "What's going on?"

"We don't think that's a good idea," Bruce stated solemnly.

"Why not?"

"We're…just afraid he might lash out at you. You are the one that led us to him, after all," Tony defended.

Sigyn noticed that all of the Avengers seemed anxious and uncomfortable. _There is something they are not telling me, _she thought. "Very well. Continue with your…questioning," Sigyn conceded. "If it is all the same to you, I would like some time alone," she said.

Steve seemed confused, but nodded his head.

Sigyn left the room as quickly as possible, and found a remote corner of the tower. She closed her eyes, trying to sense Loki's magic within the apartment. When she had a grasp on his location, she found the nearest set of stairs and climbed three floors. _Why is he so far away? _She asked herself as located the last door at the end of a long hallway. Since the door had no handle, she deduced that it must slide open somehow. "J.A.R.V.I.S., can you open the door?"

"I'm sorry, Princess Sigyn, but access to this room is restricted to authorized personal only," J.A.R.V.I.S. explained.

"Oh, I don't have time for this." Sigyn pressed her palms against the door and released a small flare of magic. The door slid open, revealing a small, dark room with a window and another door beside it. She moved towards the window and realized that Loki was on the other side. "Loki," she whispered as she opened the other door. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the state he was in.

Loki's hands appeared to be handcuffed under the table. His eyes were closed and his head was tilted back a bit, but Sigyn could see that he had a black eye. Dried streams of blood running from his nostrils down to his chin. His nose appeared to be jutting out at an odd angle.

"Loki…" she breathed.

He lifted his head and opened his eyes, although his left eye was nearly swollen shut. "Sigyn?"

Sigyn kneeled down beside him. "Did they do this to you?"

"Just the Widow, although I'm sure the others were watching," he informed her.

"Oh, Loki, I'm so sorry," she whispered. She held up her hand to him. "May I?" she asked.

Loki looked at her suspiciously, but nodded his consent. Sigyn placed one finger lightly under this eye. A small ray of light appeared, and Loki felt the pain in his face disappearing. "I suppose you are here to obtain the locations of the Stones," he guessed.

Sigyn momentarily paused her healing and looked down, but quickly resumed. "In all honesty, yes," she admitted. "But I didn't know they were doing this to you."

"I'm sure they didn't want you to know," he scoffed. He let out a small grunt of pain as he felt the magic healing his broken nose.

"Sorry," Sigyn apologized.

Loki glanced at her and examined her clothing. "I see they've already given you your uniform. I'm surprised they haven't given you some ridiculous nickname yet."

Sigyn sighed. "Loki, please. I'm trying to help you."

"I don't need your help," he snapped.

Sigyn pulled her hand away and stood up. "Well, you've got my help whether you want it or not."

"Hey!" a voice shouted from behind her. Sigyn turned around and saw Tony standing in the doorway with a panicked expression.

"Anthony, I was wondering when you would show up," she sneered. Tony said nothing as she pushed passed him and stormed out of the room. "You, Anthony Stark, and all of the other Avengers, have some explaining to do."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"What were you thinking?" Sigyn seethed to the room full of Avengers. Everyone had varying degrees of guilt on their faces, even Natasha. "I cannot believe that the Earth's greatest heroes have sunk to the level of their enemies." She turned her furious eyes on Thor. "And you Thor…I cannot believe that you would allow them to do this to your own brother. Your mother would be ashamed."

Thor hung his head in disgrace. "We didn't have much of a choice," Steve defended. "He was refusing to cooperate."

"And what exactly has that gotten you?" she countered. "He still hasn't given you the locations of the Stones."

"Well, what are we suppose to do? Natasha was just doing what she had been trained to do," Clint informed her.

"Is brute force the only way humans know how to solve problems?" Sigyn asked.

"Come on, Sigyn, what's the big deal? As far as I'm concerned, Loki deserves a lot more than what Natasha dished out," Tony argued.

Sigyn sighed. "Look, I know that you have a sordid history with Loki. I know what he did to this world. But I have reason to believe that it was not his fault."

"Even if Loki wasn't working alone, he still has to take responsible for death he caused," Steve countered.

"I am not saying that Loki should not receive his punishment. I am saying that beating up a man who cannot defend himself is the work of bullies, not heroes."

Sigyn watched everyone look everywhere but at her. Steve rubbed his neck and stared at the ceiling. Tony was fidgeting with a set of keys sitting on the coffee table. Bruce sat on the couch, cleaning his glasses. Thor had a hand over his face. Clint sat next to Natasha on the loveseat, nervously tapping his foot. Natasha glanced at the wall with pursed lips. "Continue with your questioning," Sigyn finally said. "But I will be monitoring it at all times. Is that understood?"

Steve glanced at her and nodded his head. She gave the group one last disappointed look before turning her back on them and leaving the room.

* * *

"Alright, Loki, what game are you playing?" Clint questioned Loki. Sigyn and Steve stood on the other side of the one-way window. The two men on the other side of the window had already been talking in circles for several hours. Sigyn rubbed her temples in frustration. This constant battle of wills was exhausting to watch. She couldn't imagine how Clint had the energy to keep this up, but she noticed him stifling a yawn. Loki must have noticed it too, because his lips curled into a satisfied smirk.

"Getting sleepy, are we, Barton?" he mocked.

"You didn't answer my question," Clint pressed.

Loki laughed. "I have no idea what you are talking about," he hummed.

"Cut the shit, Loki. We know that you know where the other Stones are. Tell us where they are, or else-"

"Or else what?" Loki sneered. "You'll torture me? Kill me?" Clint simply pressed his lips into a tight line. "Oh, that's right. You can't. The dear princess won't let you, will she?"

"So that's what you intend to do? Hide behind Sigyn for protection? That's pretty pathetic, even for you."

Loki's smirk quickly disappeared. "I don't need her protection," he insisted.

"Oh, really? Because if it wasn't for her, you wouldn't be able to stand right now."

Loki said nothing, electing to simply stare daggers at Clint. "She is doing everything she can to protect you, and you are doing a shitty job of repaying her."

With that, Clint stood up, turned his back to Loki, and left the room.

"I'm not sure a guilt trip is gonna work on Loki. I doubt he even has a conscience," Steve said to Clint once he had closed the door.

"Maybe not, but I don't know what else to do. Nat is the interrogation expert, not me," Clint huffed as he stomped out of the room.

"Perhaps I have made a mistake…" Sigyn whispered.

"No, Sigyn, you were right. We can't win by becoming like our enemies. I just don't know what we're going to do." Steve pressed two fingers to his ear. "Alright, we're done for the night," he said. "Bring him back to the cell."

Sigyn ran her fingers through her hair, and Steve placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You should get some sleep," he told her. "You look even more tired than Barton."

Sigyn nodded. He gave her one last reassuring smile before leaving. She sighed and stole one last glance at Loki. The look on his face brought her back to when they were children. Thor, Loki, and her would chase each other through the woods, running and screaming without a care in the Nine Realms. Every once in a while, Loki would stop playing, and a shadow would cross over his features. Thor never seemed to notice, but Sigyn always did. It was an expression of deep thoughtfulness with a tinge of sadness. As quickly as it had come, it passed, and Loki was back to his normal self.

"Sigyn?"

Suddenly, the familiar voice pulled her out of her trance. Tony and Bruce stood in the doorway, giving her curious looks.

"Oh, Anthony. I was just…lost in thought," Sigyn mumbled.

"Don't worry about him, Sigyn. We won't hurt him, unless he tries to do something stupid, like escape," Bruce assured her.

"Of course. Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I will retire to my chambers," she muttered as she squeezed past them.

The two men exchanged confused glances. "What do you think that was about?" Bruce asked.

Tony shrugged. "No idea. Come on, let's bring Reindeer Games back to his cell."

* * *

Sigyn shivered in the cold. It was a coldness that seeped through her skin to her bones. She tried to warm herself, but all she had was a thin, dirty, beige-colored shawl. In fact, all she wore was the shawl, a tattered dress, and a pair of slippers with several holes in them. The wind suddenly picked up, and Sigyn lost hold of her shawl. As she chased the garment through the streets, she realized where she was.

The beautiful architecture of Asgard was almost unrecognizable in this state. Once grand and marvelous buildings were reduced to piles of rubble. The only structure that still stood was the palace. Storm clouds stripped it of its glorious shine.

Sigyn climbed the steps of the palace as her heart raced with fear. The gold-plated front gate had been ripped from its hinges and sat in a crumbled heap at her feet. Sigyn felt like a ghost as she traveled the dark halls, hearing one sounds save for her own footsteps. When she finally found the throne room, she opened the door and was relieved to see a figure sitting on the throne.

"Allfather!" she breathed as she ran to the throne. But as she came closer, she realized it was not Odin who was sitting on the throne: it was Loki. His head was slumped forward, so she couldn't see his face, but she knew it was him.

"Loki?" she whispered as she ascended the steps to the throne. "Loki!" she exclaimed, but he didn't respond. She knelt down beside him and shook his arm. "Loki, what are you…" She stopped when she saw the knife embedded in his chest.

"Loki!" she cried. She pushed his head up and saw the trail of dried blood that ran from the corner of his mouth to his chin. His body was cold as ice.

"No…" Sigyn breathed. She took a hold of his shoulders and began to shake him. "Wake up! Wake up!" she screamed, but Loki remained silent.

A sinister laugh echoed through the throne room. Sigyn stood up and took fighting stance, ready to defend herself. But she saw no one.

"Who's there?" she demanded.

"You won't win, child," The mysterious voice mocked. "It's useless to fight me. Hand over the prince, and I will spare you and your pathetic world."

Sigyn's posture stiffened. "Never," she declared.

"Then you have sealed your fate." As the voice spoke, the palace began to shake. The walls crumbled around her. She looked up and saw a piece of rock about to crush her and she did the only thing she could: she threw herself over Loki and waited for the pain.

Sigyn's eyes flew open and she sat up in the bed. A quick survey of her surroundings reminded her that she was in the safety of her bedroom in Stark Tower. She had never had a dream so vivid and detailed. It replayed in her mind over and over again and her stomach turned when she realized what it meant: Thanos was invading her dreams.

Her legs shook as she stepped out of the bed. She quickly found her robe and tied it around her waist. She took a look in the mirror and realized that she had been crying in her sleep. With one wave of her hand, the tears and the redness in her eyes disappeared. She took a deep breath before leaving the room in search of Loki's cell.

The cell was on the top floor of the Tower in the most isolated corner they could find. There were no markings on the door, but Sigyn could sense Loki's fear from her room. She found the titanium door and hesitated for only a moment before knocking. "What?" Loki's voice snapped from the other side. Sigyn waved her hand over the door and watched it fly open.

Loki's expression quickly changed from irritation to shock. "Sigyn?" he whispered

"Hello, Loki." As she spoke, her voice cracked slightly. She noticed him examining her disheveled state and quickly smoothed out her hair. "May I come in?"

Loki seemed too stunned to answer, so he simply nodded. Once she stepped inside, the door closed.

"Sigyn, what are you doing here?" Loki asked as she crossed the room in a daze.

"I needed to talk to you," she breathed. Her body shook as she stood with her arms wrapped around her waist.

"Is this about the Stones?" he questioned. She nodded. "I have no interest in discussing it with you."

"Loki, please, this is more serious than you realize," she insisted. "He's not just coming for you. He's going to destroy everything."

"Then I suggest you leave before he gets here." He said it very evenly, but Sigyn could tell that he was frightened.

"Loki, please, I have heard him in my dreams. He's threatened my home. I won't stand by and let him destroy everything I love."

Loki couldn't hide it anymore. His eyes widened with pure terror. "He's come to you in your dreams?" he asked. Sigyn nodded. "Then it's already too late," he stated gravely.

Sigyn stepped closer to him. "Loki, I intend to protect my home," she whispered. With trembling hands, she slowly untied her robe and allowed it to fall to the floor. The thin nightgown she wore did nothing to make her feel safe. She had to resist the urge to cover herself.

"What are you-" He stopped when she took his hands to placed them on her hips.

"I told you, I intend to protect my home." She gently placed her hands on his chest and forced herself to look him in the eye. "And I will do whatever it takes."

The expression on his face was absolutely unreadable. _Why was he so damn good at guarding his emotions? _As each second ticked by, she felt her body becoming more and more tense.

After several excruciating moments, he finally spoke. "You would give yourself to me to save your Realm?"

"It's the only thing I have to give," she breathed.

Suddenly, he pushed her against the wall. Sigyn let a panicked cry as he pinned her arms above her head. Her eyes snapped shut, and her body began to tremble.

"Please…" she choked. The feeling of Loki's breath on her neck made her clench her fists. She felt his hand slide up her arm and force her hand open. Her eyes opened when he felt him press a piece of paper into her palm.

"You should be careful whom you trust, love," he whispered into her ear. He let go of her arms and pulled away. Sigyn watched with astonishment as he strolled over to her crumpled robe and picked it up. She was barely aware of him draping the garment over her shoulders as she unfolded the piece of paper.

"Is this…?" He nodded as he sat down on his cot and turned away from her. "Loki?"

"Please," he pleaded. "Just go."

Sigyn suddenly felt the urge to throw her arms around him and tell him that everything was going to be alright. But she didn't. Instead, she simply put her arms through the sleeves and opened the door. Before she left, she turned back to steal one last look at Loki. "Thank you," she whispered just as the slammed shut again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello, everyone! Sorry for taking so long. To be honest, I was not feeling very inspired. But some good reviews convinced me to start working on this again. I re-uploaded all of the chapters, mostly to fix some grammar mistakes, but I did make one major change: the Diamond is now the time stone, so you might want to go through the previous chapters one more time. Well, that's all I have to say. Tell me what you think and enjoy!**

Chapter Twelve

"You got it?" Tony asked, standing on the other side of the kitchen counter. Sigyn nodded as she handed him the piece of paper. Tony read the list, and glanced back at her. "Knowhere? Xandar? Some of these places sound made up."

"The universe is a far bigger place than you've ever imagined."

"Fair enough. I just need to know how we're going to get there," he reminded her.

"We can use the Bifrost to go to the other ends of the universe," she informed him.

"Alright then, we have the Diamond, the Scepter, and the Tesseract," Steve pointed out. "We still need the Orb, the Aether, and the Soul Stone."

"I can speak with Nova Prime and request to borrow the Orb," Thor assured them.

"Nova Prime?" Steve questioned.

"I will explain on the way," Thor answered.

"We can't just go get them one at a time. That would take too long," Natasha informed them.

"Nat is right," Clint confirmed. "We have to split up."

"Right, so who's going to…" Tony took another look at the paper. "…Xandar with Thor?"

No one volunteered, so Steve stood up. "I guess that means I'm going."

"Great. Next, Knowhere. Sigyn told me that this 'Collector' guy can be hard to bargain with, so I'll go there," Tony announced.

"Why?" Clint question.

"Because, my friend, I am a master negotiator," Tony declared smugly. Natasha rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything.

"And Bruce is coming with me."

"Me? Why me?" Bruce questioned.

"Well, just incase negotiations fall through, I'll need some muscle." Bruce leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Guess that leaves Nat, Sigyn, and me with the Soul Stone," Clint sighed.

"The Soul Stone is hidden in a cave known as Krubera," Sigyn imparted.

"Krubera? That's the deepest cave in the world. It'll be pretty dangerous," Natasha said.

"Sounds like my kind of mission," Clint chimed.

"While we're away, Loki will be transferred to one of the last secure S.H.I.E.L.D. facilities," Tony informed them.

"I beg your pardon?" Sigyn questioned. "Anthony, we did not discuss this."

"Not now, princess," Tony whispered.

"Yes _now,_" Sigyn insisted. Tony shot a glance to Steve.

"Alright every one, get some sleep. We'll leave first thing in the morning," Steve ordered. Everyone else filed out of the kitchen, leaving Sigyn, Tony, and Steve alone.

"Sigyn, we can't just leave him here while we're gone," Steve told her. "This place is crawling with staff. We have to keep them safe."

"And how will you ensure Loki's safety?"

"You can't be serious," Tony sighed.

Sigyn shot him a deadly glare. "Those agents have more reason than most to harm him. I will not allow him to go there alone."

"What do you suggest?" Steve asked.

Sigyn folded her arms and pursed her lips. She didn't want to stay behind, but she couldn't allow Loki to be delivered into the hands of people who wanted to kill him. Finally, she released a long sigh. "I'm going with him."

Tony threw his hands up in defeat, and Steve rubbed his temples. "Fine," Steve conceded. "A car will pick you both up in the morning."

Steve and Tony left the room together. Sigyn leaned against the kitchen counter and rubbed her eyes. She didn't know why she felt the need to protect Loki. He had, after all, caused death and destruction wherever he went. But something in her heart told her that she had to help him, that he wasn't past the point of no return. At least, not yet.

* * *

"What are we looking for?" Steve asked as he leaned over Tony. Tony sat at his desk, looking through video footage on his computer.

"I want to know how Sigyn got the information off of Loki."

"Sigyn and Loki knew each other when they were younger, didn't they? Maybe she just called in a favor."

"Loki doesn't have that kind of honor code," Tony reminded him. "There's something else going on."

"You think she's working for him?" Steve questioned.

"It would make sense, wouldn't it?" Tony pointed out. "She's insisting on going with him. She doesn't want us to hurt him. I'm telling you, they're in bed together."

"I don't know, Tony," Steve doubted. "Sigyn is the princess of her own realm. Aligning herself with Loki might jeopardize her people."

"Unless they made deal. He agrees to protect her kingdom in exchange her help in getting the stones."

"That does sound like a Loki kind of plan," Steve admitted.

"Aha! Here it is!" Tony pulled up the video clip and put it in full screen. The two men watched as Sigyn entered Loki's cell. As the scene played out, both of their jaws began to fall open. When Loki pushed her against the wall, Tony jumped in his seat.

"Should we be watching this?" Steve questioned.

"Hang on…There! There it is!" He paused the video and zoomed in on Loki's hand. "You see that?"

Steve leaned in closer and squinted at the screen. "That's the piece of paper that she gave to you."

"Why would Loki give it to her without… taking her up on her offer?"

"Maybe there is someone in this world that he actually gives a damn about."

"Or maybe they put on this little show for us to distract us," Tony suggested.

"Do you like we should still let her go with him?"

Tony rubbed his chin. "The agents at the Playground will be able to keep a better eye on them than we can. We'll let them go and make sure that the agents report any suspicious behavior directly to us."

"Alright, whatever you say," Steve sighed. "I'm going to bed, and you should too. We have a big day tomorrow."

* * *

"Princess Sigyn?" Sigyn's eyes fluttered open when J.A.R.V.I.S. spoke her name. For once, she didn't dream, but it brought her little comfort. The dreams were fragmented and didn't make sense, but they were the only insight to the future she had. She remembered the Diamond, and how it could be used to manipulate time. If she could just get her hands on it…

She shook her head, trying to banish the thought from her mind. Even if she could get the Diamond back from Tony, the power could overwhelm her.

"Princess Sigyn, there is a car waiting for you and Loki. Your bag has already been packed. You should get dressed and meet the other agents on the ground floor," J.A.R.V.I.S. suggested.

"Thank you, J.A.R.V.I.S.," she mumbled as she pushed herself off of the bed and entered the closet. She found an out fit that Natasha had recommended: a fully black ensemble consisting of a leather jacket, a long tunic, a pair of leggings, and a pair of lace-up knee-high boots. She braided her hair and took a long look at herself in the mirror. She wondered if this is what the warriors of Midgard wore.

"Best get going, Princess Sigyn. Getting to the Playground will take a while," J.A.R.V.I.S. announced.

"Yes, of course," she said as she left the room. She made her way to the elevator, and the door opened, revealing Clint and Natasha.

"Hey there, princess," Clint greeted as she awkwardly stepped onto the elevator. "How come you're not coming with us?"

"I'm going to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base with Loki," she informed them.

"Why?" Natasha questioned.

"I don't trust the agents with him," she stated evenly.

Clint and Natasha simply shrugged at each other as the elevator began to descend.

"Have the others already left?" Sigyn asked.

"Yeah, Heimdall dropped Thor and Steve off on Xandar, and Tony and Bruce are in Knowhere."

"Good," she whispered. The elevator doors opened, and the three stepped off. As they left the building, Sigyn noticed two cars waiting in the road with agents loitering around them. Two stood on either side of Loki, who as wearing a pair of handcuffs and an unreadable expression. They locked eyes and, for a brief, she could have sworn she saw a hint of guilt in his eyes, but he quickly looked away.

"Princess Sigyn?" one of the bigger agents questioned. Sigyn turned to him and nodded. "I'm Agent Stevenson, and this is Agent Masters," he introduced, gesturing to a black-haired female agent.

The woman gave her a curt nod of before opening the door of the metal object. "We will be escorting the two of you to the Playground," she informed her.

Clint and Natasha said a quick 'goodbye' to Sigyn before getting into one of the cars and driving away.  
Agent Stevenson pushed Loki into the car, and crawled into the back. Sigyn saw him tie a blindfold around his eyes. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"It's standard procedure, Princess Sigyn. Only agents can know the location of the Playground. You will be required to wear one too," Agent Masters explained.

"Very well," she sighed as she tentatively stepped into the car and took a seat next to Loki. Agent Stevenson handed her a blindfold, and she tied it around her eyes.

She heard one of the agents climb into the seat next to her. "Alright, Masters, let's go," Stevenson order.

The car began to move, and Sigyn immediately tensed up. She felt Loki lean closer to her. "If you're going to be tense the whole trip, it's going to be a long ride for you," he whispered.

"You're not helping," she hissed. She tried to lean away from him, but she realized that she would be leaning into Stevenson.

"It would be better if you didn't speak to him, Princess," Masters told her.

"Oh…of course," Sigyn conceded.

_Trust is not an abundant resource on Midgard. _Sigyn heard Loki's voice in her mind, and became even more anxious.

_Loki, stop it, _she insisted.

_You don't have to be afraid, Sigyn. _

_I'm not…_

_Sigyn… _Even thought he didn't say it out loud, she could hear the tenderness in his voice when he spoke her name.

_I want to trust you, _she thought, making sure to block him from her mind. _But I can't._

Suddenly, the car went over a bump in the road. Sigyn gasped and her body tensed up again. She felt someone take her hand, and their fingers intertwined with hers. She knew it was Loki, and told herself to pull away. He began drawing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, and she felt her muscles relax. Despite her mental chastising, she couldn't bring herself to break the physical contact. Soon, she began drifting off into a deep sleep.

_Rest well, _she heard Loki say just as sleep claimed her.


End file.
